Gillian Toole (Meath East, Independent)

Go raibh maith agat. I thank the Minister of State for all of the interaction and information we glean in these sessions. He has definitely hit the ground running, so I thank him on behalf of children and parents in Meath East. The improvements are coming thick and fast, as they should. Why did things not happen with as much of a sense of urgency and importance prior to this? That is probably quite an open-ended question.

On early years, the Minister of State mentioned AIM. This is not quite the remit of his Department but now that there is interdepartmental communication and collaboration, has the salary of providers, etc., come up at joint committees?

Again, to return to my question on the funding of assessment of need, is there communication with the HSE on the use of National Treatment Purchase Fund, NTPF, or cross-border directive to guide parents? I ask because I have directed to local credit unions those parents who would be in financial difficulty in terms of affording assessments.

On alternative therapies, it is fantastic to hear about recruitment and the increase in college places. There are alternative therapies such as art therapy, drama and equine therapy. Is there a specific fund for them that schools can access? In my own area people fundraise to provide these therapies using GoFundMe, bake sales, etc. There is great therapeutic benefit to be gained from the horse boy method, etc. as they assist with emotional regulation and hormone release for an overall calming benefit. There is science to back these therapies. Is there a fund that principals, when approached, can access?

I do not know who raised the following issue but it would be great, if possible, to get an update on, dare I say, the inappropriate places. It is fantastic to hear that the numbers are in single digits on which I highly commend the Minister of State and his team. Purely for my own information I would like to know the number of inappropriate places.