Paschal Donohoe (Fine Gael)

It is a disgrace that we have 70 families in this country who have been forced to go to the courts, 47 of whom did so to attempt to vindicate the rights of their autistic children. It is shameful that they had to go to court to secure the needs of their children. One such family lives quite near me and the desperation I see in their faces when I talk about the lengths to which they must go makes me ashamed as a politician and should make this Government ashamed of its willingness to force people to take such action.

As I was preparing for this debate, I examined the annual output statement from the Department of Education and Science for 2007. That document lays out the crucial strategic priorities the Department wants to deliver and the money it will put in place to do so. Nowhere in that 27 page document is reference made to the need for ABA schools. The people working in this area are not even mentioned, let alone recognised. I decry the amendment proposed by the Government.