Tom Brabazon (Dublin Bay North, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I congratulate the Minister of State on his appointment and wish him well on it. I know he is very committed to the area of special needs. I am very conscious that today is World Autism Awareness Day and I certainly do not want to be seen to be pitting one group of children against another, particularly given that the special school the Department wants to put into prefabs, which is totally unacceptable, is pitted against children who are also on the spectrum within the Belmayne Educate Together Secondary School. The use of prefabs as we have seen down the road in Gaelcholáiste Reachrainn, which were provided as a temporary solution but have become a 24-year permanent solution, is certainly not good enough for children with special needs. We need to knock this stupid idea on the head immediately and get these children moved into the school building with the Belmayne Educate Together, which is happy to welcome them to its building.

See this speech in context