Chris Andrews (Dublin Bay South, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Labour Party Bill. It is so important because it speaks to who we are as a society. Groups such as Involve Autism, which is represented in the Gallery, do such powerful work in advocacy but also in supporting families in communities who are struggling day in, day out. There is also Neurodiversity Irishtown, Ringsend and Pearse Street, which does amazing work for families that it should not have to do. We all want to see classes opened as a matter of urgency. Just as a school should not be opened without a wheelchair ramp, a school should not be opened without an autism class. Schools must be compelled to open special education classes and, equally, they must be given resources to ensure that when they are open, they will have the necessary speech therapy and a sensory room. They have to have the wrap-around services because opening a class with just four walls might as well be in a field, and that is not acceptable.

We need to ensure the services are there for the children. Neurodiverse children deserve a high quality education in their community and they should not have to be taxied out of their homes, past their schools and far from where they live. As I have said previously, more than €70,000 per day is spent on taxiing children out of their homes past their local schools in south Dublin alone. That €70,000 could easily be used to resource schools that are opening classes. It is essential that happens because it amounts to a significant waste of money and it is unfair on the families and children who are taxied out.

Last week I mentioned a child aged two-and-a-half years who is being taxied out of their class because no early intervention is available in the community. Our children deserve a decent education. It is good for the community and for everybody in society.

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