Joe Flaherty (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The witnesses have all said that they are very reluctant advocates. All of my colleagues and I are deeply appreciative of their attendance plus the testimony from all of them has been harrowing to say the least. As a Government representative, I am deeply embarrassed by the provision of services and the complete disconnect across multiple Departments, which the witnesses have properly articulated. I was particularly struck by a comment made by Ms O’Mahony who said that families have been badly let down by heavily funded agencies over many years and that is the reality. We are an advanced modern economy yet we look to Malta for a blueprint of a model on how to do things. The money is there and without question the challenges can be addressed but the problem is the different silos and trying to navigate across different Departments. I know that she got an email saying it was not a certain Minister’s responsibility. I am sure that the witnesses will not be surprised to learn that we get the same email, which shows the disconnect in the public service and that this is not just experienced by witnesses, as parents.

This committee has the best of intentions but the delegations need to see results. An immediate result that we should aim for is probably the summer programme. As Ms Jennings pointed out, the whole idea of the summer programme is not progression but to address regression, which is a very telling point for us to take on board. We are not being asked for supports to improve the education but to address regression.

My first question is for the delegation from Special Needs Schools and Classes. In terms of its aspiration to have the Maltese model in place for 2023, has the Department done anything yet about the matter? Department representatives have visited Malta but has the delegation seen practical steps taken in regard to the scheme? According to the group’s case study the programme needs to start from January onwards. Let us bear in mind that we are almost in October so is January realistic? Have they received an indication from the Department that the scheme will be rolled out in 2023?