Ms Helen Walsh:

I thank the Deputy for her question. The new circular has been welcomed in many areas. I take the Deputy's point on board. There is no perfect way to form this circular to include all of the students who may need a class. There is a specific number of those classes around the country which are dependent on supports from a HSE CDNT, in other words, 0.33 of a post going in.

On the original circular - I will come to the new one in a moment - it was long established and well out of date. It referenced the cognitive element which was the real kicker in students accessing those particular classes. There is no intention in this circular to discriminate. However, it has to fall within particular parameters. I accept the Deputy's point in relation to denying access for students with disability but these are specific classes established for students over a specific period within an educational context, hence the wording. There are other measures in the school context to support students. While every circular has parameters, at the same time, it intends to include as many students as possible. The intention of this circular in particular was to try to remove the original circular, which was the biggest issue for students and parents.