Ms Martina Mannion:

Certainly. The Senator has identified that certain sections of the Act have been commenced and that others have not. The Minister of State responsible for special education and inclusion, Deputy Madigan, has indicated that one of her priorities is to review the laws on special educational needs, including the EPSEN Act. That is something the Department has indicated it will do. The Senator pointed out that since the EPSEN legislation was implemented, the policy on supporting children with special educational needs has moved on and evolved on foot of evidence and policy advice from the NCSE, which takes into account international perspectives and other matters. The fact is that the model for the provision of special educational needs has moved on from a diagnosis-led model to one that is driven by the needs of the child. Having regard to any view that is substantially different from the one that underlined and underpinned the EPSEN Act, any review of the Act will need to take into account the changing policy since the inclusion of EPSEN provisions in 2004. The review is something that the Minister of State is committed to and that the Department will undertake to do.