Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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Question 384: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children her views on the European autism charter, adopted as a formal resolution of the Committee on Social Affairs of the European Parliament in 1993 and by the European Parliament as a written declaration in May 1996; and if the State abides by the charter. [25277/05]

Tim O'Malley (Limerick East, Progressive Democrats)
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The philosophy underpinning the planning and delivery of health services to people with disabilities, including those with autism, is that people with disabilities should be given the opportunity to live as full a life as possible, to live with their families and as part of their communities for as long as possible. The Government's overall objective is to put in place the most effective combination of legislation, policies, institutional arrangements and services to support and reinforce equal participation for people with disabilities. As such, the approach in the health services to the provision of support for people with autism incorporates the key principles outlined in the charter of autism Europe.

Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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Question 385: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children the strategy her Department is putting in place to improve the monitoring of autism and to research indicators for autism. [25278/05]

Tim O'Malley (Limerick East, Progressive Democrats)
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The national intellectual disability database was established in 1995 to ensure that information is available to enable the Department of Health and Children, the Health Service Executive and the voluntary agencies in Ireland to provide appropriate services designed to meet the changing needs of people with intellectual disability and those with autism and their families. The database incorporates three basic elements of information: demographic details, current service provision and future service requirements. The objective is to obtain this information for every individual known to have an intellectual disability and-or autism and assessed as being in receipt of, or in need of, an appropriate service.

Information pertaining to diagnosis is specifically excluded, as the database is not designed as a medical epidemiological tool. The data held in any individual record represent the information available for that person at a specific point in time only. The record is updated whenever there are changes in the person's circumstances or during the annual review process in the spring of each year.

The national intellectual disability database enables those involved with the planning and delivery of service to people with an intellectual disability and those with autism to identify not only the level of need amongst those awaiting placement in services but also the service changes required by those already in receipt of services.

In addition, my Department has committed €5 million in funding to an Irish research project participating in an international genetics project designed to map the human genome in the search for autism susceptibility genes.

Finian McGrath (Dublin North Central, Independent)
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Question 386: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children the reason a person (details supplied) in Dublin 7 had to travel abroad for a service; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25284/05]

Tim O'Malley (Limerick East, Progressive Democrats)
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The Deputy's question relates to the management and delivery of health and personal social services, which are the responsibility of the Health Service Executive under the Health Act 2004. Accordingly, my Department has requested the parliamentary affairs division of the executive to arrange to have this matter investigated and to have a reply issued directly to the Deputy.