Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

This is an important measure and it is a priority for me and the Minister of State to get this in situ as soon as possible, to expand it and roll it out beyond our special schools. I am pleased in what I am seeking approval at the committee today includes €5 million in capital funding for this school term, specifically relating to therapies, but also €3.2 million in current funding. This will allow us to start hiring occupational therapists and speech and language therapists. It is important that we start this as soon as possible. Hopefully from today, we will have the opportunity to start hiring. We need to make we have the therapists, speech and language therapists and occupational therapists. That is why I am working closely with the Minister for higher education, Deputy Lawless, but also the Minister for Health, Deputy Carroll MacNeill and the Minister of State, Deputy Naughton, to make sure that we have the appropriate places in our colleges, but they have the appropriate training places within our health sector to then be able to avail of some of the newer offerings that we are putting in place in the education system. This is about making sure that our children get the supports in school where they spend so much of their time surrounded by their peers. That is the number one priority.