Dessie Ellis (Dublin North West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister and her staff for attending. I am curious about the school inclusion model, which is at the pilot stage. It is intended to include many supports and to reach out to different areas, including speech and language, occupational therapy and supports in schools, to ensure they are equipped in that regard. I understand it is to be completed by 2023. I ask the Minister to outline how this is progressing. It seems like it is a good way of finding out where we stand when it comes to this issue. I also mention community healthcare organisation, CHO, 9. I tabled a parliamentary question in May 2022 concerning waiting lists, and CHO 9, which includes my area of Dublin North-West, had one of the longest waiting lists for children to get an assessment. I think that has now improved, and perhaps the Minister will comment on this. I ask about this because I was worried about this situation when I spoke to the special educational needs organiser, SENO. There seemed have been little movement then, but perhaps something more has happened since.

The Minister is probably familiar with Gaelscoil Uí Earcáin in Finglas. A prefabricated building is being erected there for special education and people with disabilities. I am, however, worried about the numbers. The school has 294 pupils and it needs approximately 308 to get an extra teacher. It would be a disaster if there was a need to double up classes. Will the Minister please look at this situation? I ask because I do not think that would be a good idea. The class sizes would then shoot up to about 27, and that would be a disaster.

I also wish to ask the Minister about the effects of the pandemic. We know it had a huge negative impact on people with disabilities. What plans does the Minister have to address such a situation, if something like it were to happen again? It has been an absolute disaster. Will the Minister also comment on the use of seclusion and restraint in schools and the use of reduced timetables? People are sometimes penalised. I note my comrade mentioned some of the schools. I have had experience where principals have been avoiding taking on people because they have had a disability of some description. I do not know if this is common, but I have experience of this aspect from dealing with such situations in the past. I wonder how we can deal with these issues.