Ms Lorraine Dempsey:

What has been really important about the opportunity today is to have such a level of focus on the summer programme and refer back to the normal July provision that would take place. We have moved up a few steps in terms of broadening the scheme. We welcome the recognition by the Minister and the Department of Education and Skills that children suffer regression and it is not just children with autism or children on the severe to profound end of intellectual disabilities. It is a big step and it is something we have been looking for.

In terms of the operation of the scheme and making it a reality, the teaching unions and managerial bodies would be best placed to answer that, but we do know from the public domain that pay is an issue.

SNAs traditionally cannot deliver home-based provision but they can this year. Both for SNAs and tutors, when the forms are completed by the parents and the tutors at the end of August and submitted to the Department, they will not be paid until November. Again, going back to the point about childcare, if one needs to engage a childminder to look after children during July, the childminder will not accept that the parent will not pay them until November or December for that work. It acts as a disincentive. I know people have been talking about having to get into the higher tax brackets.

For schools, it is about supporting and encouraging them to be in a position to deliver. Schools will say that staff can be burned out, particularly in special schools where a high intensity of supports are given to children. There have to be different ways of encouraging staff and enabling them to deliver the July provision or the summer scheme.

One good point about this summer is the fact that the Department has recognised the scheme needs to be flexible. Instead of it having to be delivered only in July, this summer it can be delivered any time from 29 June right up to 21 August. How it is delivered can be very flexible. There is a maximum number of hours of 40 but that can be delivered by breaking up the weeks if suitable for the tutor to engage in it. We need to hold on to the flexibility. However, it has just not been enough this year to put this programme together so late in the day. Not having the guidelines for the schools has played a major factor. The management bodies and the education unions would be better able to answer those questions.