Ahern defends fighting autism case

TAOISEACH Bertie Ahern yesterday defended the State’s decision to contest a case taken by the parents of a young child with autism.

However, Mr Ahern also said he took no satisfaction in seeing parents having to fight issues relating to their children in court.

He was responding to Green Party leader Trevor Sargent who raised the case of Seán Ó Cuanacháin, the young Wicklow boy whose parents brought a case seeking the State to provide him with 30 hours of applied behaviour each week.