Petitions Committee to discuss provision of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) Units in all schools

The Joint Committee on Public Petitions will meet tomorrow at 1.30pm in Committee Room 1, Leinster House.
The Committee will consider the following petitions:
·    Petition No P00024/16 – Criteria in order to qualify for a primary medical certificate.
·    Petition No. P00001/2017 – Responsible service of alcohol.
·    Petition No. P00007/2017 – Eradicate homework for Children in Primary School.
·    Petition No P00010/17 – To make public consultation process a legal requirement and count for 20% of outcome. To create an independent arbitrator of Facts and Process with power to order revisions or rerun using correct processes and facts.
·    Petition No P00002/17 – Civil Rights for Civil Servants
·    Petition No. P00023/2017 – Open an ASD Unit in all Primary and Secondary Schools.

Committee Chair, Seán Sherlock said, “Tomorrow’s meeting will open with a discussion of a petition we have previously worked on from a Petitioner who is of the view that the criteria  to qualify for a primary medical certificate is outdated and does not provide a criteria for upper limb amputees to qualify for the scheme. We will discuss correspondence we have received from the Ombudsman, before we proceed with inviting Minister of State for Disability Issues to appear before the Committee after the recess to discuss the issues raised in this petition.”

“We will then turn to petitions on alcohol; homework, the restrictions placed on Civil Servants wishing to run for election to public office and membership of a political party  and the overall public consultation process. The meeting will close with an examination of a petition which calls for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) Unit in all primary and secondary schools. The Petitioner outlines that parents often have to bring their children to school in another county, town or miles away from their home to access a school with an ASD class. This is an issue that affects families right around the country and there is legislation relating to this issue currently published.”

Watch proceedings live here.