Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank all colleagues for contributing to this debate and Deputy Carroll MacNeill for tabling this question. I will certainly follow up on the points they have made. I do not believe I have met representatives of the organisation Deputy Stanton mentioned but I will make it my business to do so. I fully agree with Deputy Conway-Walsh's point. I do not profess to be an expert on this, but I think the lack of transition planning is a big issue and I know my colleagues, Deputies Madigan and Rabbitte, think that too. It is not for me to tell the Oireachtas committee what to do but perhaps we could delve into this in some detail at a meeting of the education committee with myself, the Department of Education, the Minister of State with responsibility for special education and the Minister of State with responsibility for disabilities. There is a lot of good work going on but it is fragmented and it needs to be joined up. I will work with people across the House in doing this. Crucially, it cannot be us telling the people with disabilities what we are going to put in place. I know we all agree on that. It has to be about listening to them and what they want. On the rural issue, the ETB network has a role to play here. The ETBs are in every community in Ireland and we need to look at how we can expand their role and support them to do that. I would love to explore this in more detail with the Deputies.

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