Liam Twomey (Fine Gael)

I thank Senator Hannigan for sharing his time with me. Throughout this row, the Taoiseach and the Minister for Education and Science have said the issue is not funding but providing the most appropriate education for children. That is blatantly untrue because this is a row about resources and whether it is the parents, the State or a combination of both who decide a child's education. Who decides on a child's education? Is it the parent, the State or a combination of both? It is clear throughout this debate that the State — the Minister and the Taoiseach — decides on the education a child will receive.

In my constituency of County Wexford there are excellent schools in Coolcots, Wexford town and Enniscorthy. I spoke to one of the parents from the Coolcots school who told me that a professor from America, who visits the school every few months, has said that the school has one of the best records of mainstreaming children with autistic behaviour into mainstream schools. That school should be used as a model for others to follow. That is the type of service about which we should be talking in this debating chamber and one the Government should be providing.