Pádraig O'Sullivan (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Deputy Harkin touched on the issue of July provision earlier. I would like some clarification in this regard. A record budget of €40 million has been allocated again this year. In all likelihood, and hand on heart, we know we will be lucky if half this amount is drawn down. Let us be straight about this point. What is the role of the NCSE in this regard? Have policy documents been drawn up on this issue? I read the NCSE’s corporate governance guide last night. Under the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs Act 2004, the organisation has the ability "to advise the Minister on any matter relating to the education of children and others with disabilities". That is quite a broad set of criteria.

On that basis, and concerning summer provision, we all want to see it being a success. Many people on this committee and on the Joint Committee on Education, Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science come from educational backgrounds. Unfortunately, there are many different reasons this July provision scheme is probably not as successful as it could be. Even now, many parents tell me that because it has become so broad, the people it was designed for originally are not benefiting half as much as perhaps they should be. What is the NCSE’s role in this regard? If the organisation does not have a specific policy in this regard, is that something it could explore?