Michael Moynihan (Cork North-West, Fianna Fail)

Some of the questions relate to the Department of children and disability but it is all a whole-of-government approach, to be honest. The therapists we are putting back into special schools and onwards into special classes and schools in general is a very serious body of work being done by the Government. The Department of education has engaged with the associated bodies for the speech and language therapists and the occupational therapists in a very meaningful way.

We must get the training and the third level education system right. The Department of further education, under the Minister, Deputy Lawless, is increasing the places that are available for occupational therapy and speech and language therapy. As I said in respect of CORU, the registering body, if there are people from other countries willing to work in Ireland, we must ensure that their registration is processed in a timely way. We have a shortage of therapists within the CDNTs and the education system but we are working to try to resolve that. We will only be judged well if we have the resources and therapists in place to deliver the therapies in a meaningful way.

There is a perception out there that the primary education system has developed in a meaningful way in terms of special education but that post-primary is a different body of work. Some of the post-primary schools with special classes that I know of and have visited place a huge emphasis on integration and have done amazing work. That has empowered the schools and the second level education providers, but we have an awful lot of work to do at post-primary level. I know the challenges at post-primary level are very difficult but we must ensure there is special education there as well.

When the disability strategy was announced last week, there was a specific reference to children transitioning from primary to post-primary, so we do understand the challenges that are there. There is more anxiety at school level and student level in relation to what is the right thing to do for students going into post-primary education. It is something we will work on over the while. The right thing to do is to make sure that special classes are available in every post-primary school the length and breadth of the country, for the students themselves and for the students in mainstream, so that there is a fully integrated education system and we have them in post-primary. This is something we will work on very seriously.