Naoise Ó Cearúil (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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1956. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth her views on the Government's approach to creating a more inclusive society for the autistic community in light of the recent World Autism Day. [17216/25]

Hildegarde Naughton (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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This Government is committed to fostering a more inclusive society in which autistic people enjoy an equal opportunity to participate in their communities and lead full lives of their choosing. I recognise that autistic people in our society face a variety of challenges, and that there are gaps which we need to address in existing services and supports, and in terms of understanding and acceptance of autism.

In response to this, a new national strategy on autism, the Autism Innovation Strategy, was developed and launched on 26 August 2024.

Inclusion of autistic people was at the heart of the Strategy's development. To ensure that the Strategy reflected the views and needs of the autistic community, two public consultations were held, aimed at autistic people, their families and supporters, and professionals working with autistic people.

The Autism Innovation Strategy complements and enhances existing and emerging policy, including the new National Disability Strategy which is currently under development, by focusing on areas where there are bespoke needs for autistic people that are currently unmet within mainstream provision. In focusing on these bespoke challenges encountered by autistic people, the Autism Innovation Strategy aligns with and complements action where there are shared challenges for a wider cohort of people with disabilities.

The Strategy identifies 83 actions that can make a meaningful difference to the lives of autistic people over the 18-month lifetime of the Strategy, or actions which provide a solid foundation for improved mainstream accommodation of autism going forward. Many of these actions are aimed at creating a more inclusive society for autistic people, for example through improved access to public services or by enhanced research and data for improved policymaking.

The new Programme for Government commits to the full implementation of the Strategy, which is a priority for me and my Department, and work is ongoing across all 11 Government Departments and the numerous State Agencies which have committed to actions within the Strategy to ensure that autistic people see tangible results as soon as possible.