Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael)

I thank the Senator.

Legislative advances have done little to inspire confidence among parents in the ability of the Department of Education and Science to meet the needs of children with autism or other special educational needs and their parents. The Education of Persons with Special Educational Needs Act and the Disability Act have not received uniform support or endorsement from the disability sector. Too much of the potential impact of these Acts has been watered down, as the provision of services is not seen as a right or an entitlement but rather a service predicated on the availability of resources. Under the assessment of need process for 0 to 5 year olds introduced in June 2005, there is no link between the identification of need and the meeting of that need. This flies in the face of recognising the importance of early and appropriately matched intervention.

The Minister spoke earlier about listening. I ask that this debate be listened to. We need to make significant progress in this area. I hope we will see progress as a result of today's debate.