Seán Haughey (Dublin North Central, Fianna Fail)

The Minister, Deputy Mary Hanafin, regrets she could not be present for the entire debate, but she is preparing for the Student Support Bill which is scheduled to be taken in the Dáil this afternoon. Senators will appreciate that it is an important Bill which is being welcomed across the board by students generally.

I have listened to the debate for the past hour and to the discussion on this matter which has taken place outside the House. I reiterate that the development of an educational system for children with special educational needs, including those with autism, has been a key priority for this Government.

A key challenge over the past ten years has been to meet the needs of all children with autism. There is now a nationwide network of autism-specific education places in situ. This network has been the culmination of much work, including consideration of the available research, the task force report, advice from autism experts, the National Educational Psychological Service and the inspectorate on the provision of education for these children who have such individual needs.

Listening to a number of reports over recent days, I wonder if the flexibility that is now built into the school-based system is fully understood. The challenge facing any Minister for Education and Science is to put in place a framework of provision which can meet the needs of all prospective children who may present for enrolment. For children with autism this spectrum is vast and includes children with significant social and communications difficulties, children who have learning disabilities and children who can be fully integrated alongside their typical peers.

I am concerned the impression has been created of a one-size-fits-all approach, namely, that the Government wants all children with autism to enrol in mainstream schools and that this is the only option being made available. This is not the case. The purpose of education is to enable children to reach their full potential——