Mr. Mark O'Connor:

Absolutely. We engage with the Department regularly and raise many of these issues in our annual budget submissions. NEPS is a blunt instrument. Schools get their two assessments per 100 children and if a third child requires an assessment it has to be done privately. That does not necessarily mean the parents have deep pockets. They are quite often borrowing money to do these kinds of things. It is pretty much a blunt instrument.

We have campaigned on this over the years but we have met with the finite nature of the resources that are available.