Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh (Kildare South, Sinn Fein)

It is still extremely discriminatory. For example, children with Down's syndrome are invisible in this conversation. For some children with Down's syndrome, their IQ may be over the level where they are not entitled to be given these supports but they have a speech impediment. They are left out because it is not of an unknown origin. We need to do more.

My next question is about registration of demand. Will the witnesses speak to the widely report practices of SENOs of refusing to issue letters of eligibility despite having the recommendations from multidisciplinary teams? How many such cases are there? On what basis are those decisions taken?