Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome that. I appreciate that previous speakers have raised the issue of the summer programme or July provision but I seek a little clarity on it. This morning we heard from Inclusion Ireland and its representatives told us that in the survey they conducted among parents of children with additional needs, 89% of parents very clearly said their children missed school and 78% said that homeschooling did not work well for them. One would anticipate, therefore, that there would be a significant uptake of this summer programme. The Minister for Education and Skills forecasted that when he suggested that between 20,000 and 24,000 students might take that opportunity. Last year there were 10,000 students on the programme and yet this year we are only looking at approximately 14,000. Why has there been such a divergence between the projected figure of 20,000 to 24,000 and the uptake of 14,000, bearing in mind that parents are crying out for an opportunity for students to attend such programmes?