Ned O'Sullivan (Fianna Fail)

That is the reason parents in the main want to see their children integrated into the mainstream with their peers as much as possible.

I regret that this court case took place. Naturally, our hearts go out to the family concerned. However, we must be reasonable about this. That court case was not initiated by the Minister or Department. The parents had a choice in this. The Department had no option but to defend the case and would have failed in its duty to taxpayers if it had done anything else. That the judgment made it quite clear that the Minister and Department had not failed in their duty has not been made in the House today and should be reiterated.

The Minister restated in the House today that where ABA is the appropriate and necessary procedure or intervention, the child will get it. That point resonates with me.