Micheál Carrigy (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I concur with the comments made by others. I thank Martin Groves, Bridget Doody and all the staff across the House for their courtesy and help over the last term. It is an honour to walk in the front door of the House every day. It is something that I feel privileged to do. I wish my colleagues of all parties well. I know it is not going to be a quiet summer. There is lots of work to be done. I concur with the comments made by Senator Lombard in relation to school transport. If the issue is not addressed, we are going to have a very busy August with issues on the ground.

The Disability (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2023 came before the House on Tuesday. My strong view is that we need to review the Disability Act 2005. I have said it on numerous occasions. We have discussed the matter in the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Autism over an 18-month period. We have met with various representative groups, including parents' groups. This review needs to happen and we need to make it happen. We have waited too long for it. I ask the Deputy Leader to take that request back to the Government, because the issue needs to be dealt with now. We need to carry out a review of the legislation and make the changes that need to be made to ensure that children, in particular, get access to the services they are entitled to.

Another issue that I have raised on a number of occasions, and highlight again today, is one that involves a minimal cost, namely, the introduction of a heel-prick test for spinal muscular atrophy, SMA. I have raised the issue on a number of occasions. The cost of adding it into the existing heel-prick test is roughly €300,000. Looking at the list of conditions covered by the test, at a European level we are one of the lowest in terms of identifying conditions that could be detrimental to a child in later life. We need to review the number of conditions that are tested for in the heel-prick test. For a very small amount of money, we could make a positive change for many families, who would not have to suffer in later life.