Mr. Pat Healy:

Deputy Daly referred to west Cork, which is one of the exemplar areas under the new model. I mentioned in my presentation the categorisation we devised, with category one comprising those locations in the mid-west, Meath, west Cork and Cavan-Monaghan where a great deal of progress has been made. The mid-west is often cited as one of the exemplar sites around which the model was developed, with west Cork being another very early adopter. The collaboration between schools, service providers and the Department in those areas is excellent. When we talk about rolling out the naught to 18 model, that is what we are talking about. Part of the learning from west Cork and other locations in the mid-west and elsewhere was the necessity of having that type of framework in place, with local implementation groups, good consultation with parents and so on.

To address Deputy Griffin's question, a similar process to what happened in west Cork was undertaken in Kerry. The general feedback I have had is that it has worked well, people understood what was being done, there was a great deal of engagement and consultation with the various providers and good linking into schools. I will look into the situation at St. Francis special school in Beaufort, which I know well from my past role as director of disability services in the south. I was not aware of any particularly significant problems there, but I will investigate the matter. The general feedback on the changes has been good. Indeed, the work done by the National Disability Authority shows that where the new model has been rolled out, it is working better overall. I take the point, however, that the changes must be handled appropriately and in proper consultation with families. There is obviously a resource issue at play here in the context of increased levels of need. I am confident, however, that the model we are rolling out is the best one. We must address the resource issues as we go on. I will get back to the Deputy regarding St. Francis special school.