Mary Seery Kearney (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I commend Senator Ardagh on her Bill. I cannot see anyone not supporting it in its entirety.

I have just come from the Committee on Autism's first year anniversary meeting, in which it listed its recommendations and the progress thereon. I want to first reflect on the fact that there is never a case here where a committee sits, produces a report and has a progress report a year on. That is fantastic. Many Members of this House participated in that committee.I pay particular tribute to Senator Carrigy, however. Any of us who are in the parliamentary party with him will know we get weekly reminders and progress. It is our privilege, and mine in my spokespersonship, to support him completely. He is a tenacious advocate. Progress happens because of many things and much hard work by many people, but Senator Carrigy in particular has taken this and absolutely run with it. He leaves no stone unturned. I want to pay tribute to him.

Yesterday, I had a meeting with the Minister of State, Deputy Naughton. I have always worked very closely with the Ministers of State, Deputies Rabbitte and Madigan, and now with the Minister of State, Deputy Naughton. It is great to see progress. I see the terrible frustration of parents. I sit daily with parents who are trying to find school places, trying to get support services and trying to get speech and language therapies and all those things all of the time. All progress is to be celebrated, but no matter how far we go, there is still a long way to go.

Having that co-ordinated effort under the Taoiseach's Department and with the special new committee, we can see the momentum where nobody can be siloed anymore. The Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte, cannot be isolated anymore and told she will not get co-operation. The Minister of State, Deputy Naughton, cannot be told that because the Taoiseach is chairing a committee that sits weekly to ask what the progress is, what the impediments are, how we get over them and how we deal with them.

One of the frustrations or one of the things on which there has certainly been progress, and on which the Minister of State, Deputy Naughton, has made real progress, is this idea of the role of special educational needs organisers, SENOs. Any of us who have been at public meetings with organisations like Involve Autism and the Dublin 12 autism advocacy group would be horrified by the fact it has been the experience of parents to apply up to 20, 30 or 40 schools. They are given a list of schools and that is the extent of the support in many instances. It is good to see progress. Intensive training of SENOs is going on and, therefore, from September, that will not be the case. It is to be hoped this will be the last year where parents are tearing their hair out to the extent they are. I do not understand how there is not a central portal. My ask of the Leader is that we have statements in this House for a year-on update, exactly as we saw happen downstairs. Why not for Senators? Senators in this House have advocated passionately on behalf of autism services. Can we have statements in the House on it?