Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick East, Labour)
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Question 96: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if a centre (detail supplied) is operational; the services it provides for persons with autism in the Republic and in Northern Ireland; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9307/08]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The Middletown Centre for Autism project is a joint initiative between the Department of Education in Northern Ireland and the Department of Education and Science aimed at supporting the promotion of excellence in the development and harmonisation of education and allied services to children and young people with autistic spectrum disorders.

It has been agreed that the following four key services will be provided by the centre: learning support service; an educational assessment service; training and advisory service and an autism research and information service.

I am pleased to inform the Deputy that officials from my Department and the Department of Education in Northern Ireland continue to work closely together to progress the development of the Middletown Centre for Autism. Members were appointed to a Board of Directors in 2007 and a small number of key staff has taken up positions facilitating the phasing in of service provision. Work to date includes the provision of some training and also a public consultation process on the Centre. However the Centre will not be fully up and running until the proposed building project is completed, which is scheduled for 2009.