Tim Lombard (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I want to raise the issue about services with regard to kids who are autistic. There has been a large amount of work done and I compliment the Minister of State on the amount of units that have been set up in the majority of secondary schools, particularly around Cork. It has been of real benefit to communities and societies. There is a gap in the market at the moment that we need to look at, particularly around special schools which kids who are autistic and do not fit into the mainstream programme attend. Children are travelling from Skibbereen, Clonakilty, all the way into Cork city. There is one child travelling an hour and a half on a bus each way. He is getting a very good service in Cork city may I say.

We need to put strategic plans in place so we have special schools in geographic locations so kids do not have to travel to that degree or spend an hour and a half on a bus. We need a practical solution to a problem we have. There has been much work done but we need to make sure the final pieces of the jigsaw are put in place. Those final pieces are special schools for that cohort of kids who do not fit into the normal mainstream schools. There are significant benefits here for the people involved, for the families and for the entire community. I suggest we should organise a debate with the Minister of State with responsibility for special education about those special schools and where we can build on the work done by Senator Carrigy in particular who chairs a special committee on autism, to ensure we put a programme in place to prioritise these kids going forward and the last piece of the jigsaw can be put in place.