Peter Roche (Galway East, Fine Gael)

I thank our guests for their contributions and welcome them all here. I was somewhat concerned by Mr. Pike's opening statement when I heard that people felt excluded, unequal, unqualified and untrained and that they just did not fit in. That is a massive deficit. It really concerns me that this would be happening in today's world. I had the benefit and the pleasure of sitting on interview panels in the past, interviewing for such posts. Extraordinary candidates came forward for SNA positions. The level of knowledge they had and the interest they showed was remarkable. If someone asked me whether SNAs were manufactured or born, I would say they were born. Some people are absolutely brilliant and can make exceptional SNAs. I have discovered that in recent times. I have come across people who would never have considered being an SNA and they are doing an absolutely outstanding job. The person who benefits the most is the student in their care and anything that can be done in support of the person who is providing that care should and must be done, whether that is in relation to terms and conditions or changes to policies within schools. That has to be paramount. I do not have any questions per se. From my perspective, given the knowledge that I have of SNAs, they do an absolutely outstanding job. Only last week I attended a special opening of a school in Tuam and saw the compelling work and the way the SNAs engaged with the children entrusted to them by their families in the morning. We cannot pay people to do such a magnificent job and as I said earlier, it concerns me hugely that the findings of research suggest that the people doing all of that work felt disrespected and that they did not fit in. We have a body of work to do to make sure that the systems that support that are changed.