A special educational support agency providing advice and professional support for parents, teachers and schools dealing with autism is to be established, the Taoiseach told the House. He said a special task force on education for children with autism would report this month.

Mr Ahern was responding to Opposition questions on the High Court award of £255,000 to Mr Jamie Sinnott and his mother, Kathryn, for breach of their constitutional rights after the court found the State had failed to honour its commitments to provide his education.

Mr Ahern said the judgment was being studied by the Minister for Education and Science, Dr Woods. "Perhaps today would be too soon to give a reply but I will ask the Minister to reply as soon as possible."

The Government, he said, was very conscious that it was a serious matter. "There is no doubt that, over many decades, the State failed to provide the sort of education for children with special needs which they have a right to receive. We have been trying to develop a system capable of responding in a flexible and professional way.

"Over the past two years, more than 350 specialist teaching posts, and more than 800 childcare assistant posts for children with special educational needs, have been appointed and specialist classes for children with autism are being established in various parts of the country. We recognise that we have to do more."

The Fine Gael leader, Mr John Bruton, said all members of the House agreed with the fine and eloquent words Mr Ahern had spoken about the cases. "However, many would question why Ms Sinnott and her son had to spend, I think, 27 years in the High Court fighting the government to win this judgment and that taxpayers' money was devoted to fighting this case and resisting Jamie Sinnott's claim.

"Have any lessons been learned? These mistakes have been made in the past and no one is free of criticism. However, we should not fail to learn and we should not go on fighting cases which are eminently just when they could be settled much less expensively and with much less pain."

The Labour deputy leader, Mr Brendan Howlin, said as a society "we have to change our ways to ensure that we do not put barriers in the way of anyone trying to vindicate basic rights".

Mr Ahern said he took the point being made. "The case has been going on for years. It was lodged in the lifetime of other governments but we should not get into an argument on it. The argument put forward by the Department of Education and Science in this case was that it was offering what it believed to be adequate education, but that was not in a primary school, which was what the parents put forward."