Micheál Carrigy (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

As Ms Fox will have seen from the tone of the meeting, summer provision is a major issue of concern for the committee. Some 80% of children in special schools, the most vulnerable children, did not get summer provision. It will be said there is home-based provision but, unfortunately, some parents are not in a position to get a teacher to provide that home provision. The children for whom the July provision, as it was then known, was set up are getting nothing for the entire summer. That is not acceptable. What is Ms Fox's view on that? We have mentioned numbers and figures but the reality is there is not a sufficient number available to provide this. There are towns in which there are multiple children with a need but where there is no provision taking place. In the vast majority of our special schools, it is not taking place. As I have said, it is not acceptable. What is Ms Fox's view on people who work in the early childhood care and education, ECCE, system who have level 6, 7 or 8 qualifications but who do not have a Teaching Council number working in the summer provision system? Could something be put in place to make them eligible to work in the summer provision programme? My personal belief is it should be mandatory for all special schools in the country to provide the summer provision. We need to look at a system like what Senator Wall mentioned, that is to say, where there are a number of schools in a town, they should be brought together to ensure there is availability for students in every single town. What are Ms Fox's views on expanding the scope of eligibility to work in the summer provision programme, perhaps through providing a temporary Teaching Council number to people with a certain level of education?