Services for People with Disabilities

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 23 October 2012

Tuesday, 23 October 2012

Questions (237, 238, 239, 240, 241, 242)

Jonathan O'Brien

Question:

237. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills in relation to training in Middletown centre for Autisum Spectrum Disorder, if he will provide a breakdown of the number of people participating in each of the training topics provided by Middletown; the number of classroom hours of training in each topic per person trained; the details of the correspondence with the professional bodies who approved the training in each topic to ensure that international standards of best practice in the respective topics are met. [46101/12]

Jonathan O'Brien

Question:

238. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder who have attended Middletown and the length of time those children attended. [46102/12]

Jonathan O'Brien

Question:

239. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder that have been directly treated by staff employed by Middletown; the numbers of hours per child treated at the centre and through outreach by staff employed at Middletown. [46103/12]

Jonathan O'Brien

Question:

240. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will define the term affected as used by Middletown in relation to its affect on over 400 children with Autism Spectrum Disorder; the way the affect on children attending Middletown is measured; and if he will provide a definition of the term trained as used in the Middletown Inspection Report. [46104/12]

Jonathan O'Brien

Question:

241. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will confirm that the most common duration of course delivery for the 3,000 persons trained at Middletown is two hours. [46105/12]

Jonathan O'Brien

Question:

242. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will provide details of independent reviews of the effectiveness of courses in Middletown in terms of their delivery of training and value for money and to provide a breakdown of the amounts paid to fund individual courses. [46106/12]

Written answers

Minister for Education and Skills

I propose to take Questions Nos. 237 to 242, inclusive, together.

The Middletown Centre for Autism is an initiative jointly funded between my Department and the Department of Education in Northern Ireland. The Centre is 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. I have arranged for the questions raised by the Deputy to be forwarded to the Middletown Centre for Autism for their attention and direct reply.