Fiona O'Loughlin (Kildare South, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I have a few short questions. I will be specific about who I am addressing. Mr. Harris talked about the provision of additional therapies. Is he suggesting that it be offered during the school day? Should it be timetabled during school time for the students concerned? Mr. Harris also said boards of management should explore other options before recommending that an autistic student with overly complex needs be expelled or transferred to another school. Within the context of schools having limited resources, what is the impact on other children in a class considering that a third of the respondents in the survey said their child was on a reduced timetable due to a lack of resources? The area of resources is a really big one.

Mr. Joyce referred to reduced timetables in behaviour-management situations. Has he any alternative strategies that he would recommend or suggest should be taken on board?

Ms Keane talked about data that could be used. How would she propose using data on the use of the reduced timetables in regard to gender, disability and socio-economic background? How should they be disaggregated? Sometimes when we label too much or have too many boxes to tick, it can lead to further segregation and, possibly, more exclusion.

Was there any reason the Department of Education and Skills or other State bodies, such as NCSE, did not take part in the round-table discussion.? Perhaps they were not invited. I would be interested in knowing the reason.

On Ms Hanahoe's remarks, it is always good to listen to another perspective. Coming from a teaching background, I saw evidence of what she was talking about. I concur with my colleague Deputy Thomas Byrne that every child should have the opportunity to have a school education.

That is not taking away from the importance of understanding the situation teachers and other pupils have to deal with and how they are affected. I am interested in hearing a little more about the resources that are needed in helping parents to manage their children. Sometimes parents have their own complex needs and we also need to help them with their parenting skills. Sometimes we can do this through schools.

I share Senator Gavan's view on the possible reduction of capitation grants. It certainly could put children at a disadvantage in an already stretched environment. It is not something I would like to see happen.

I, too, want to ask about the role of parents if timetables were to be reduced. In Ms Byrne's experience, do parents engage fully in a process aimed arriving at a mutually acceptable decision? Obviously, we want parents to be consulted at all times, but does full engagement take place? As I have dealt with parents and teachers in these situations, I am interested in hearing Ms Byrne's perspective.

I will go back to the panellists in reverse order. I ask Ms Byrne to respond first.