Ms Martina Mannion:

The Senator raised a large number of issues, so we may not be able to get through all of them in the time available. On delays in diagnosis, I reiterate that a diagnosis is not required for children with special educational needs to access educational supports in schools. We have moved away in recent years from a diagnosis being required to access supports towards focusing on the needs of the child. As for the issues the Senator raised regarding delayed diagnosis, I understand they may relate to a delay in respect of access of supports once children are diagnosed or health-related supports, potentially in respect of therapies and other issues. As those matters are not under the remit of the Department of Education, we probably cannot comment in any great detail on them.

The Senator mentioned reduced timetables, an issue on which my colleagues in the special education and social inclusion areas of the Department have appeared before the committee in recent times.

To reiterate, we have committed to ensuring robust data collection on the use of reduced timetables. We want to ensure that where reduced timetables are in place, they are only used in a manner that is limited, proportionate and absolutely necessary, in line with our guidance. We had guidelines drawn up for the use of the reduced timetables and we have spoken to the committee about that on previous occasions. Those guidelines have been out for consultation with education stakeholders but the process has, unfortunately, coincided with the pandemic. We reissued the guidelines for engagement with stakeholders in late 2020, with a view to having them introduced in the schools in early 2021 but as a result of school closures, that has been further delayed. Now that schools are open, we are in a position to progress this issue further. The key message is that reduced timetables are to be used only in very limited circumstances to reintroduce a child to school but never as a way of managing a child's behaviour or otherwise as a replication for the appropriate supports that the Department is funding to ensure a child has access to appropriate provision.

I know there were a number of other areas about which the Senator asked. She asked about progressing disability services in the school for the deaf. It is an issue that has been raised and managed under the remit of the Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte, and the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth. It provides a pathway for people to access therapy in the wider health space. The Minister of State has recently announced that she will be holding further discussions with the HSE about the management of the programme and has paused any changes in therapy services to schools pending those discussions. That is an update on those issues. I am not sure if the Senator asked about anything else.