Charlie McConalogue (Donegal North East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank Ms Dempsey and Mr. Kelly for appearing this afternoon and for sharing their experiences of the special education supports in place and the issues they believe need to be addressed. I commend them on their work, including liaising with parents and working in a collaborative way on their behalf.

The area of special needs education has developed significantly in recent years. It has undergone a radical change. There are now more than 9,000 SNAs in the country; that figure has come from a low base several years ago. Undoubtedly, issues remain, and I thank the Special Needs Parents Association for taking the opportunity to highlight them to us.

Are children who have a need for a SNA being assessed and having their needs met in terms of the delivery of SNA hours? What is the recent experience of the association in this regard? Has it observed a squeezing in respect of the allocation of special needs assistants to children who would rightly be regarded as requiring these services in recent years? In my engagements with the National Council for Special Education it has maintained that the numbers meet the need, but the response of those affected is different. What exactly is the association's experience from engaging with parents? Has it noticed a change in recent times? The association referred to the introduction of classroom assistants with regard to addressing a gap in the system and the integration of the work of SNAs with teachers. Will the association elaborate on what it proposes and how it would work?