Kathleen Funchion (Carlow-Kilkenny, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I would appreciate it if Ms Griffin would do so.

On the expansion of the summer provision programme, year-on-year there is much discussion and general agreement on the need for this provision to be made available to all children with additional needs rather than it being ring-fenced for children with autism and every year we end up in the same situation, although I acknowledge that the programme being provided this year caters for additional children. We are all aware of how difficult the current situation has been on children with additional needs, parents and families. There is no point in us applauding those people and saying that they are doing great work and that we have empathy with them unless we are prepared to take action to help them. As I said in an earlier session, we can do this by expanding the summer provision programme to cater for all children with additional needs. During that session, I noted in the opening statement of Inclusion Ireland a comment that the NSCE feared Inclusion Ireland could be in breach of the Equal Status Act because such provision is not being rolled out. I would welcome Ms Griffin's views on that. I would also like to hear from the departmental witness why this programme cannot be rolled out to all children with additional needs. Why can such a plan not be put in place? For as long as I have been a Member of the Dáil, this issue has come up for discussion every summer. I understand that things cannot be done overnight, but can we at least make a start on putting a plan in place? I believe we need such a plan in place for this summer. This would show children with additional needs and their families that they are as important as everybody else and they matter. There is no point in saying we have empathy and we understand that things are difficult; people want to see action.