Aisling Dolan (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister. Yesterday was a great day. I congratulate the Minister on again taking up this role and on delivering for so many families and children across Ireland. The Minister of State, Deputy Naughton, will be taking responsibility for special education. I acknowledge the efforts of the outgoing Minister of State in the Department, Deputy Madigan, who had responsibility for special education and inclusion. It is crucial we recognise that the budgets being allocated to education and inclusion for schools where we need supports for students with additional education needs have been higher than ever. Over €2.6 billion is coming into that area, as well as an additional €113 million in 2024.

I spoke with a few principals in advance of speaking to the Minister. There are many good things and I will start with one the of positives, of which there are many. Principals have told me they have never seen as much input coming into their classes. They have never seen as much transformation. There are, for example, nearly 21,000 special needs assistants. There has been an increase across the board in respect of special educational teachers. The hot school meals programme has had an impact. The way we in Ireland do it means that every child in every classroom in every school has access to those meals. I have heard stories about children who have eaten meat for the first time having never eaten it before. Children are eating vegetables. They are getting great nutrition and great meals, which is important when it comes to attention spans and so on. That is a real success story. The communications unit of the Department of Education needs to be focusing on the impact of the hot school meals programme and the need for it to be continued and expanded because it has such an impact for families from all backgrounds.

The school books scheme has had a major impact at junior school level and I note the Minister's commitment to expanding this even further up to junior certificate level. I highlight the increase to more than 130 special schools.

I am conscious of time, and I know this is not the Minister's direct area but she may be able to give some information on this or else come back with it. I know it is more in the Minister of State, Deputy Naughton's remit with regard to the children's disability network teams. Under the appeals process for SET allocations, there were changes this year for many different reasons. We have more and more children moving towards secondary schools. One of the issues is a lack of data. One of my key things is around having an online shared care record for every person in Ireland, so all of his or her medical data and information about evaluations is kept together. There is a huge issue here due to the lack of data coming from the HSE with regard to children's disability network teams. The assessment is done in second, fourth and sixth class. Will the Minister comment on why this cannot be done in junior infants as well? There are four years between junior infants and second class. Schools in towns - for example, in Ballinasloe, where I am from - have a huge input. We will have 136 new homes in our town and local authority area and more than 64 modular units. Those families will have young children of all ages and in different years in primary and secondary school. Is there any reason the assessment cannot be done at entry level as well as in second, fourth and sixth classes? I very much take on board that this would be done annually.

Second, on the 60% special educational needs organisers, SENO, posts, do we have an idea of how many posts that is? There was more information on STEM in the Minister's opening remarks than in opening statement submitted to the committee, so will she send that information to the committee? She gave a lot more detail about the funding for the likes of Science Foundation Ireland, SFI, and a few other groups that was not in the opening statement.

With regard to SENOs, how many posts is that, how many are being recruited and what is the timeline for them to be recruited?

On school transport, it is excellent and it will be wonderful that 100,000 extra students will benefit by 2030. Have we identified where those pilots are happening? Will there be a balance across the country? The Minister is smiling at me because she knows well what I will ask. There will be a great balance across the country in rural and urban areas.