Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal North East, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The Tánaiste has got to reflect on this issue. This is Orwellian stuff. All of us got e-mails last night from teachers and principals across the State describing clearly the real impact on the children involved in their schools.

This is defending the indefensible. I will read from the Labour Party manifesto for the last election. It states, "Labour will support schools, parents and children with special educational needs by ensuring that necessary supports follow a child from primary to second level and achieving greater integration of special needs-related services." The Labour Party was spot on when it said that and it should honour that.

I was on a panel sponsored by the Disability Federation of Ireland last year and it put out a pledge called "a threshold of decency" for every political party to subscribe to, stating there would be no more cuts to disability services. What citizen would support the cutting of services to children with disabilities, their parents or carers? That was the pledge and this Government has not accepted it.

The Tánaiste should stop the Orwellian language and the nonsense. Let us be realistic, the fact is that children going to school in September will have to cope will less support for those pupils with disabilities.

There was a presentation recently by parents of children with Down's syndrome. In Donegal Deputies from all parties recently met parents who told them what it means to be the parent of a disabled child and what those resources and supports mean to them. I am appealing to decency here because I think we are decent people in these Houses. Let us reverse this decision. Do not hide behind the NCSE but do the right thing and reverse the decision. Please do not get up again and try to defend the indefensible.

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