Mr. Mark O'Connor:

That is what it looks like but when we look under the bonnet, we can see the difference. As we have already indicated, most children with Down’s syndrome at second level will not be able to access the scheme, or rather, to correct that, all children with Down’s syndrome at second level will not be able to access the scheme.

With regard to children in preschool, if children are moving from preschool to specialist provision, in other words, a special school or class, they can access it. However, many people want their children to attend mainstream schools. While they may have similar needs to someone in a special school or class, it is just that they want to go down that route and to attend their local school with their brothers and sisters and all of their neighbours. That is an aspiration we all have for our children in life. However, if they have chosen the mainstream route and they are moving from preschool into mainstream, they cannot access the scheme either.