Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

I remember something very similar when some years ago I asked parliamentary questions about education and how much it was costing the State when parents were taking cases seeking appropriate education for their children who had special educational needs. Over the previous three years it had totalled some €20 million. The parents were only seeking education for their children. Part of the reason people take cases is because they have no expectation that services will be there for their children. I have never met a parent with a child who has special needs that does not have a huge file for their permanent lobbying. There is a piece of the picture that is open disclosure but there are other pieces that we might identify around the investment in services. This could be part of the same piece.