Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

I thank the witnesses for their contributions. The need for the summer provision, both to have it and to expand it, is obvious. The aspiration of the Minister to reopen the special educational needs provision as best as possible in September is a noble and correct one which I am sure everybody shares. However, I wonder if there is a Walter Mitty element about some of this in terms of matching aspiration with reality.

I had a few conversations before coming in here, one with Fórsa, which represents SNAs, one with an SNA and another with the parent of a child with special needs who is involved in the group of parents protesting against the cuts. Every one of them was just scathing. What Fórsa said is that the plans for the summer provision are laughable. Schools do not know about numbers in classrooms. They are not clear what to do with PPE. They are not clear what to do about feeding and washing where it is necessary to do those things for some children. They are not sure about deep cleaning, who is going to do it and whether it is going to be done. They are not sure about the type of protocols necessary in the home-provision section where SNAs, for example, would be going to people's homes. Should they be tested? Should they not be tested? Would insurance be in place for taking children out in cars? The impression given across the board is that the guidance and supports are just not there.

The SNA to whom I spoke informed me that SNAs feel very badly treated. She stated that he has been 17 and a half years in the sector. She said that, first, they were told they were going to nursing homes and then, when it was realised that in many cases rather than doing nothing, they work during the summer, often with the same children, they were told they were going to support the plan for the summer provision. They were told they would get €16 an hour, which would be much less than that after tax. They are getting no supports and they are badly paid in the first place. In her case, she said she is just not doing it. How does Mr. Tattan respond to those criticisms and the level of frustration that has been expressed?