James Reilly (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Like others, I wish to raise the fact that this is World Autism Awareness Week. There are approximately 65,000 people in this country who suffer with this condition to varying degrees. Including their families, up to 250,000 people are affected by it in a very real way. In my surgery this morning, I met a 14 year old boy who was expelled from his school a year ago because they could not cope with his challenging behaviour and he has had no school for a year. I was in the Seanad many years ago when the then Minister, Dick Roche, brought forward a Bill, at my request and that of the Irish Autistic Society, to close a loophole the Department of Education had been using to excuse itself and to renege on its obligation to provide an education for children with autism. The 1945 Act allowed a derogation for parents who could not have their children educated because of intellectual disability. In those days there were no facilities for educating such children and this was used rather cynically by the Department. I am happy to say that an awful lot has happened since then and the Department has moved on hugely, providing special classes and SNAs, which are very welcome. What happens, however, when one has a child who has nowhere to go? This child has been at home for a year. He has intelligence and ability and can make a contribution to our society but he is left locked up in his own world with his parents. They have been offered a home tuition package but there is no one to deliver it so it is of no use to them. Meanwhile, time passes and the opportunity for this young man continues to fade away. I hope the Minister for Education and Skills and the Department will look into this and address it. I will certainly be approaching them about it.

Last year this House passed the Autism Spectrum Disorder Bill unanimously on 12 July, a date well known to us for other reasons. That is nearly nine months ago and this young man is one of 65,000 reasons we need a national strategy for autism and autism spectrum disorder. As I have said before, I will raise this issue every single week until I see that Bill in Dáil Éireann. It is not something that can wait and people are desperate. They have children with serious needs which they need addressed. The autism Bill will not address that immediately but if we do not put a strategy in place and do not have a co-ordinated approach, we are not doing our children and young adults with autism the service we should be doing them.

There is now a need for a strategy to address older people with autism, with longevity having increased hugely. I ask the Leader to bring the Minister to the House to explain why this Bill has still not reached Dáil Éireann. It will reflect badly on this Government and on us if this Bill is not passed into law a year after it was unanimously approved by the Upper House. The Lower House has not yet been given the opportunity to offer its support but I have no doubt it will be forthcoming.