Patrick Costello (Dublin South Central, Green Party)
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664. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he will report on the provision of specific pathways of support to reach under-represented minorities within the autism community including members of Traveller, ethnic minorities and LGBTQIA+ communities. [37131/22]

Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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As Minister of State with Special Responsibility for Disability, I have consistently worked to move towards a rights based model of support for people with disabilities, including under-represented groups that may face multiple forms of discrimination. This is the approach set out in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which Ireland ratified in 2018.

I am acutely aware of the need to make further advances towards meeting the needs of people with autism in Ireland. It is for this reason that I have prioritised the development of a national Autism Innovation Strategy.

This strategy will identify key areas where individuals with autism face particular challenges and barriers, in order to accelerate our journey towards being a more autism-inclusive and neurodiverse-friendly society.

The Autism Innovation Strategy will complement our existing national disability strategies, which are designed to support people with disabilities in all aspects of their lives. These are the National Disability Inclusion Strategy and the Comprehensive Employment Strategy for People with Disabilities.

Notwithstanding the Government's commitment for action on autism, it is important to note that neurodiverse persons already are encompassed by the supports provided in broader disability national strategies and plans. The Autism Innovation Strategy will be developed so as to sit harmoniously with wider disability strategies, and in a manner that ensures the fair distribution of supports.

The existing disability strategies are already cognisant of intersectional issues. Given the interlinkages between disability equality policy and other equality areas such as gender, LGBTQIA+, ethnic minority and Traveller rights, my officials coordinate with a wide range of colleagues across the Department, other Government Departments/Agencies and external stakeholders to ensure that policy and strategy development takes account of the specific needs of different groups in society, on an explicitly intersectional basis.

A review of Ireland's national equality strategies - the Migrant Integration Strategy, the National Strategy for Women and Girls and the National Traveller & Roma Inclusion Strategy - is currently underway and is expected to be completed by the end of the year. The evaluation process will consider how to address the issue of intersectionality in a more coherent way. Successor strategies will look to design and implement programmes and measures to address intersectional discrimination in partnership with NGOs and communities.

Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
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665. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he will establish a fund to allocate core funding to allow for the creation and further development of grassroots and autistic-led initiatives to address loneliness, social isolation and tackle stigma amongst autistic children and adults. [37174/22]

Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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I am acutely aware of the challenges facing people with autism in Ireland at all stages of their lives, including loneliness, social isolation and stigma which present real barriers to the full inclusion of people with autism in our society.

It is for this reason that as Minister of State with Special Responsibility for Disability, I have prioritised the development of a national Autism Innovation Strategy which will seek to deliver real and tangible solutions to address the challenges and barriers faced by people with autism across Ireland. This Strategy will identify bespoke needs not currently being met in broader disability supports, and will sit harmoniously in the context of the National Disability Inclusion Strategy and the Comprehensive Employment Strategy for People with Disabilities.

At present, there are no plans to establish a dedicated fund for the purposes of supporting autistic-led initiatives. However, where bespoke and unmet needs are identified, they will be considered in the development of the Autism Innovation Strategy.

It is important to note that neurodiverse people are already supported through the provision of broader supports for persons with disabilities.

Funding streams are already in place to support community initiatives for all people with disabilities, including those with autism. In October 2021, I was delighted to launch a new annual Disability Participation and Awareness Fund (DPAF) worth €2.5 million in 2021. The purpose of DPAF is to provide funding to support the participation of people with disabilities in local activities and to remove barriers to community involvement. Through DPAF 2021, funding was provided for a number of projects that aimed to support people with disabilities, including those with autism and neurodiversity, to participate and engage more fully in their local communities. Work is underway on a follow-on fund which will be awarded this year.

In addition to these wider supports, funding is being provided by the HSE for a dedicated telephone information line for the autistic community, which is being operated by AsIAm. The Autism Information Line provides evidence-based information and a port of call for individuals with autism and families to work through specific issues or challenges.

Mark Ward (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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666. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the status of the provision of financial supports for autistic young people and adults to access self-advocacy training and to develop supports to exercise their rights in the community; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37194/22]

Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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As Minister of State with Special Responsibility for Disability, I am committed to supporting the full inclusion, participation and empowerment of adults and young people with autism in our community.

In April 2021, I launched the development of a national Autism Innovation Strategy which will seek to deliver real and tangible solutions to address the challenges and barriers faced by autistic people across Ireland. This strategy will identify bespoke needs not currently being met in broader disability supports, and will sit harmoniously in the context of the National Disability Inclusion Strategy and the Comprehensive Employment Strategy for People with Disabilities.

This strategy is currently under development, following the convocation of an initial public consultation and an expression of interest process to appoint an Oversight and Advisory Group. 

At present, there are no plans to establish dedicated financial supports for the purposes of supporting autistic young people and adults to access self-advocacy training and supports to exercise their rights in the community. However, where bespoke and unmet needs are identified, they will be considered in the development of the Autism Innovation Strategy. 

It is important to note that neurodiverse people are already supported through the provision of broader supports for persons with disabilities.

In October 2021, I was delighted to launch a new annual Disability Participation and Awareness Fund (DPAF) worth €2.5 million in 2021. The purpose of DPAF is to provide funding to support the participation of people with disabilities in local activities and to remove barriers to community involvement. Through DPAF 2021, funding was provided for a number of projects that aimed to support people with disabilities, including those with autism and neurodiversity, to participate and engage more fully in their local communities. Work is underway on a follow-on fund which will be awarded this year.

My Department also supports the Disability Participation and Consultation Network (DPCN) through grant funding to five organisations for the purposes of building capacity among the disability community in Ireland. Funding has been provided to AsIAm in this regard with the aim of reaching widely across the community of autistic people, including young people and adults. Through the support and capacity building programmes delivered to date, this funding has contributed in part to the development of self-advocacy skills.