Alan Kelly (Tipperary, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I listened very carefully to the Minister of State. I felt her passion. It was very believable. Unfortunately, the Minister, Deputy O'Gorman, basically insulted the House and, I believe, insulted all the people who are here to witness this legislation. It is tokenistic and absolutely wrong of the Government to say it will allow this to pass Second Stage but that it will not do anything with it and cannot support it. The arguments that have been put forward are garbage. They are rubbish. We need legislation here because everything else has not worked. My colleagues have outlined all the various issues.

When I started off in politics and doing clinics, I might have one in 20 people come to me to discuss this. Three or four weeks ago, I had 20 appointments in Nenagh, 11 of which had to do with families who had issues with their children with autism and education, early intervention and so on. I have been speaking about this for years. I am very passionate about it. I am delighted my colleague, Deputy Ó Ríordáin, has brought this forward. When it comes to early intervention, you are fighting. When it comes to assessments of need, you are fighting. When it comes to primary school - fighting; secondary school - fighting, not to mention third level, where support is non-existent to a point. When it comes to actually being able to live within your community, something that is often missed, you are fighting. That is why I and colleagues in Nenagh set up Make Nenagh an Autism Friendly Town, trying to replicate what is going on in Clonakilty. Then when it comes to work, you are fighting again.

The disability awareness strategy, DAS, to get people into employment is again tokenistic. I am working with a number of people to try to help them get into employment because of the stigma they feel every time they notify potential employers of their autism. For the Government to say it needs more time and that it will not start off with this legislation, which we are not saying is perfect, to have a whole-of-government approach shows that, despite the Minister of State's passion, from an holistic Government point of view, either the Government just does not get it or it just does not want to prioritise it. Both are equally bad.

There is no way we can say in a Republic we will continue to treat people like this. It is totally and utterly unacceptable and totally wrong. It needs a whole-of-government approach. A Republic is about more than the four green fields. It is about treating people with respect. It is about equality. It is about ensuring everybody has equal access. That is not happening.

The Government says it will continue for another while and then look at other legislation or other strategies. That will not work because we will be here in a couple of years' time, the same people advocating will be up in the Gallery, and we will not have moved much further, despite all best intentions. This needs legislation because legislation makes Departments act, makes people work and makes targets. It ensures priorities. Without that, we will never get to the stage where, as a Republic, we can ensure the people we need to serve, the people who have been let down by the services of this State across the whole spectrum of issues we in the Labour Party have outlined, will get what they deserve.

See this speech in context