Micheál Carrigy (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I support the comments made by Senator Gallagher in regard to the situation with the transfer of staff from the local authorities to Uisce Éireann. This should not be happening. Discussions have been ongoing for a number of years about this. Whatever it takes, we should not see staff go on strike. The Minister needs to intervene with the unions to call off the strike and sit around the table again to make sure we get this resolved.

I thank the Cathaoirleach. As he knows, I am Chairperson of the Joint Committee on Autism, which will finalise its report tomorrow and launch it on 14 June. I thank the Members who have undertaken the training that has been put in place by the training unit in the Houses of the Oireachtas. I see the Cathaoirleach was on the training himself last week. I urge other Members please to sign up and take part in it. We have a target that, before the end of the year, Leinster House will be designated an autism-friendly Parliament. It will be one of the first parliaments in the world to achieve that. It means that all staff, Oireachtas Members and so on have taken part in the training. I urge people to do that.

Last night, I had a meeting with parents of children in Longford schools in regard to services. One issue that came up was that schools and temporary modular builds being put in place for classrooms or an autism spectrum disorder, ASD, class are running into delays with planning permission. Where a school is taking on additional classes, it should not be held up from putting them in place by a planning logjam. I ask that the Minister consider introducing some sort of exemption for such cases to make sure we get those classes in place for September rather than have kids at home, waiting a number of months for that build to be put in place.