Finian McGrath (Dublin North Central, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Chair for allowing me to attend the meeting. I welcome the witnesses and thank them for their contributions. Taking off my hat as a legislator for the moment, I am also the parent of a young adult with Down's syndrome who attended a mainstream primary school. I have been involved in this debate for many years. Professor Buckley is highly regarded by parents in Ireland and internationally for leading the battle for civil rights and inclusive education.

I commend Professor Buckley on the magnificent work she has done over many years with Down Syndrome Ireland. I want to ask a few short snappy questions about the resource hour issues. I have presented the Down Syndrome Equality of Access Bill to the Dáil which I am trying to get onto the agenda for this session. It deals with the low incidence disability issue. I accept that we are in a downturn and resources are a problem but what gets up parents' noses is that we and our children are taxpayers and citizens and we feel very strongly that we have rights. The resources have to be put in and they will cost money. I told the Minister for Finance before the summer holidays that if he put 2 cent on the price of a pint of beer it would bring in €13.8 million. That would wipe out the problems of resource hours. That is a small sensible idea.

In respect of the average child with Down's syndrome between five and eight years of age in mainstream school, what minimum resource hours would Professor Buckley recommend? I am talking about the minimum hours. I think I heard her say 12 hours but that would be the stuff of dreams in the current climate. Professor Buckley says that inclusive education and mainstream education is the way forward. Does she also accept, taking a hard-nosed economic benefit analysis point of view, that having more independently educated young children will in the long term save the State more money? I think she said in her submission that we in the political establishment, all of us in the Oireachtas, are letting them down. Can she expand on that point? Is there a country in Europe, or anywhere in the world, which gives an example of best practice that really works and is efficient? That question comes up regularly in the debate on children with Down's syndrome.

Professor Buckley mentioned the importance of peer support which costs no money. When my daughter was in junior and senior infants and in first class in the local national school, older girls from sixth class took her away to do a bit of reading or play games, which not only helped my daughter massively, it sent a message throughout the school that it was inclusive. I meet those young women today and they all say they learned from having a child with a disability in their school. That peer relationship is important and does not cost a lot of money.