Joe Cooney (Clare, Fine Gael)
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101. To ask the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the steps being taken to fulfil the Programme for Government commitment to place an autism innovation strategy on a statutory footing; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [61512/25]

Hildegarde Naughton (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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The Programme for Government commits to placing an autism strategy on a statutory footing. This commitment has recently been reiterated in the National Human Rights Strategy for Disabled People, which was published in September 2025.

The Department will consider how best to fulfil this commitment as part of a wider review of disability legislation which is currently being planned. The new National Human Rights Strategy for Disabled People recognises that there is a need to review and update existing disability legislation and to consider where a need for new legislation may exist, particularly since Ireland ratified the UNCRPD. This is to ensure that our disability legislation properly accounts for the human rights of disabled people.

The review will encompass a number of pieces of legislation on disability, including the Disability Act 2005, the Irish Sign Language Act 2017, and the Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) Acts.

The Programme for Government also contains a commitment to the full implementation of the current Autism Innovation Strategy. This is my immediate priority. The Strategy was launched in August 2024. It contains 83 actions which aim to make a meaningful difference to the lives of autistic people. An implementation period of 18-months was set for the Strategy.

11 Government Departments and related public bodies committed to leading on, or supporting, actions in the Strategy. They submit progress reports at 6-month intervals, which are considered by a stakeholder-led Oversight and Advisory Group. This group plays a key role in monitoring the implementation of the Strategy, and in providing constructive advice to guide whole-of-Government work on autism based on the lived experience and expertise of group members. This group meets quarterly.

I am pleased to report that significant progress has been made on the implementation of the Strategy. Departments submitted their 12-month progress reports in August of this year. There is still work to be done, but these reports showed that the vast majority of actions are on schedule or completed.

The Department of Children, Disability, Equality is leading on 7 actions within the Strategy and I am pleased to say that we are on track to deliver upon these commitments within the projected implementation timeframe.

Where the Oversight and Advisory Group identifies priority areas for delivery, these have been, and will continue to be, escalated to the Strategy Steering Committee. This Group is chaired by the Minister of State for Disability and includes representatives from relevant departments and agencies as well as representatives from the Oversight and Advisory Group. The most recent meeting was held in late September.