Michael Moynihan (Cork North-West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Chair and committee members for the kind invitation to be here this evening. As a former committee Chair, having chaired the disability committee in the last Dáil, and having chaired the education committee quite a number of years ago as well, I wish the Chair and all the committee members the very best of luck in their role. The work of the committees is hugely important in advocating for particular sectors. Education is hugely important, as is the role I have in the Department of education, and I take the responsibilities extremely seriously.

Since taking up the role a number of months ago, I have engaged extensively with various stakeholders in education, in particular with children and their families, whom I have had the privilege of meeting on many visits to schools across the country. I am also listening to what our school representative bodies, school teams, unions and advocacy groups are saying and working closely with the officials and the National Council for Special Education to deliver on my remit as Minister of State for special education and inclusion. I am aware from ongoing engagement with many members of the committee and indeed from last week's committee meeting with my colleague, the Minister, Deputy Helen McEntee, of the high level of interest that members have in special education. I commend them on that because it is important that we keep special education at the forefront. I look forward to today's debate and engaging with the committee over the coming years. While much has been done in the area, I think we can acknowledge that we can do an awful lot more. I want to touch base on some of that work that I am anxious to progress under the specific agenda items for today.

Regarding the provision of special education places, while I am pleased that the NCSE sanctioned 399 new special classes before Easter this year, several months ahead of last year, I know that this is not happening fast enough for parents and children across the country. We are all agreed this needs to happen much earlier and therefore the Minister, Deputy McEntee, and I asked our officials and the NCSE to bring forward the dates for 2026. The Department issued a circular letter to all schools at the end of May, detailing a new approach and measures to work towards the NCSE sanctioning the majority of new special classes for the 2026-27 school year by 31 December 2025.

Supporting inclusion and ensuring high-quality education provision is a key focus for me. It is important not only that the special schools and classes required for 2026 are announced earlier, but that schools then move to work with the NCSE and the Department to progress all accommodation works, recruit staff and run admissions procedures for the new special classes. While it is important to better plan for 2026, our focus must remain firmly on what remains to be done for September 2025. The NCSE advises me that recruitment of staff and admissions procedures are almost complete for all counties. In Dublin, however, extensive engagement continues to ensure that the remaining children known to the NCSE have their placement confirmed as quickly as possible. The admission processes for the final three of the five new special schools being established should conclude shortly, which is key to providing 24 new special school places in Cork and 60 in Dublin.

While our preference at all times is to work collaboratively with schools, as Minister of State, I initiated proceedings under section 37A of the Education Act 1998 against one primary school in County Kildare. Last week, I issued a ministerial direction to the school to open two special classes and I am advised by the National Council for Special Education that the school now appears to be following this direction. This will provide 12 new special class places in the Celbridge area.

On supporting inclusion, we are making progress on shaping future policy and legislation regarding inclusion and special education. Following the publication in 2023 of the NCSE policy advice on inclusive education, work continues under the technical support instrument programme, which provides tailor-made technical expertise to assist in moving from policy to practice. This will increase the capacity of our education system to design and implement specialist provision to support inclusive education in mainstream settings, as well as improving awareness of stakeholders of what inclusive education can mean in the lives of children and young people. If I may go back to 20 years ago when I was chairing the education committee, mainstream education was one of the main topics that we discussed weekly at the committee. We have moved hugely since then but we have much more to do.

The report on the review of the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs Act 2004, the EPSEN Act, has been published. I thank the thousands of individuals, school workers, parents, representative groups and, more importantly, all the children and young people, for their huge contribution in providing us with the lived experience and views that have culminated in this report. The report includes a total of 51 recommendations, which are contained under 16 subthemes. They are divided into two sections, legislative and policy-based. The recommendations are wide-ranging and cut across a number of different areas, such as accessing student support plans, professional learning, effective transitions, and the rights of the children. Our next steps are to publish an implementation plan before the end of this year. As has been the case to date, ongoing stakeholder engagement is key to ensuring that the implementation plan is meaningful and achievable. While, of course, some recommendations relate to legislative change, which will take time to implement, there are others which we are either already doing or which can be implemented quickly. Ultimately, the goal for all of us is to ensure that the more vulnerable children in our society can have the best possible education.

Since March, an immense amount of work had been undertaken on our programme for Government commitment to develop a new education therapy service for our schools. As recently announced by my colleague, the Minister, Deputy Helen McEntee, and I, the initial phase aims to provide 90 therapists across the disciplines of occupational therapy and speech and language therapy to work in 45 special schools in the coming school year. Further phases will include the roll-out to other special schools, special classes and mainstream schools as the service develops.

On special needs assistants, my visits to schools and my engagement with parents over recent months has reinforced for me the key role played by the more than 23,000 SNAs in schools across the country each day in supporting the care needs of our children and young people. It is hugely important that, while we commend the school leadership and teaching teams in the schools, we also acknowledge the huge amount of work that is being done by SNAs right across the country and how they have delivered greatly for education for young and vulnerable people. They are the unsung heroes of the education system, day in, day out.

The NCSE has now informed all schools of their special needs assistant allocations for the 2025-26 school year. In last year's budget, we secured an additional 16,000 - or rather, 1,600, I wish it was 16,000 - SNAs, the largest increase ever. The work of the SNA not only allows children to access education in a way that is child-centred and tailored to their needs but also, importantly, supports them to become independent and learn key skills which will help them as they move not just through the school system but for life. While our SNA workforce has grown by 30% in last five years alone, I know more will always be needed and I will continue to seek additional resources as part of the budget process each year.

Importantly, the NCSE has allocated additional SNAs to not only support the establishment of the new special classes and special school places but also to ensure children with more complex needs enrolled in the mainstream can have a positive educational experience. In doing so, the NCSE has ensured that all new SNA resources are prioritised to meet the care needs of students with the most complex needs.

On the SNA workforce plan, work on the first SNA workforce development plan scheduled for completion later this year is substantially progressed. Supported by input from stakeholders and research undertaken by the Department of education, the plan includes a review of the SNA role and the SNA employment contract. It will provide supports for SNAs such as learning and development opportunities. As recently announced, work on the SNA redeployment scheme for the coming school year 2025-26 is under way. This will ensure that experienced and competent SNAs are retained in the education sector for the benefit of children and young people with significant care needs. For the first time, SNA posts which become surplus for reasons of falling enrolments, reduced care needs or changing demographics will be redeployed to a school with a vacant post. The scheme will also increase job security for SNAs and contribute to effective and responsive service delivery by an SNA workforce that is well placed to respond to emerging needs.

On the recruitment of educational psychologists, the Department has been actively exploring opportunities to increase the number of suitably qualified staff to strengthen the capacity of NEPS to respond to the educational psychological needs of children and young people in schools across the country. Initiatives such as bursaries have been introduced to ensure the service continues to grow and expand. However, as with many sectors, there remains a shortfall of supply of suitably qualified professionals. This is further exacerbated by the strict regulations and standards these professionals must meet in order to register. While we need regulation to safeguard our services, particularly where our most vulnerable are concerned, it is important that these regulations and standards do not stand in the way of being able to provide much-needed and much-valued services such as our National Educational Psychological Service.

In the short time available to me, I hope I have outlined some of the key work being progressed by the Department and the NCSE. I am anxious to see this work progress through the coming school year. I am aware the committee has invited the NCSE to a meeting next week. Some of the issues scheduled for that engagement are matters for the Department so I am happy to also engage with members on these issues today. I am keen to ensure that the increased workforce available to the NCSE since September 2024 has now bedded in and that the additional SENOs are working at a local level with schools and parents to resolve many of the issues facing children and young people with additional needs. It is key that these relationships are strong, and parents and schools do not feel the need to have to contact outside agencies in relation to supports and resources. It is important we bed that in and make sure it is working properly. I look forward to this evening’s engagement and will answer questions to the best of my ability. If I have to, I may call on my officials on certain issues. If we do not have the information members have requested to hand, we will endeavour to get it to members as soon as possible.