Mr. Pat Healy:

The reconfiguration of services is a major change programme and we wanted to get it right. We set out four categories of locations. The first category is the mid west, where much work has already been done and the model is working well. It is not getting additional resources this year but is moving on. We will give some funding to support education and training and to keep the good work going. The third category is Dublin, where there was clear recognition of the necessity to prioritise and address the challenges. Category two includes a range of locations across the country where all the preparatory work in terms of consultation with families, schools and educators has been done, the care pathways are ready and we are ready to implement. The final category is those that have work to do this year but will be ready next year.

The prioritisation of the posts is related to need but also to the capacity to implement the reconfigured programme in a sensible and organised way. We are targeting 21 posts to the north side of Dublin, which will make a significant difference. The posts are cleared and will be filled on a permanent basis during the rest of the year. We recognise we need to use the resources we have to target waiting lists. We will not wait until the posts are there permanently but will use the resource at local level to use capacity between public, private and voluntary in order to address the waiting lists. We do not want to lose the benefit of the reconfigured model. The key aspect of it is that, as we roll out the model and apply more resources over time, we will eliminate the non-standardised issue whereby the service depends on the service provider to which one is aligned or whether a special school has resources attached to it, or issues such as the Beechpark issue in Dublin. The new model will address the needs of the children, irrespective of the school or provider they attend. This is important.