Ray Butler (Meath West, Fine Gael)
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I thank the witnesses for coming in. We have come a long way from the position that pertained 35 years ago. My mother sent my sister, Aisling, who has Down's syndrome, to mainstream school, and she was sent home because she would not sit down. We have come a long way since then. I agree with the association's recommendation for the introduction of classroom assistants to bridge the gap between teachers and SNAs. More focus on managing the transition phase between early intervention services is required. Some of the systems in primary, post-primary and third level education are not up to scratch and in certain cases they are not even in place.

When we came into government there was a retention of 475 SNA posts, but I am delighted there was a full allocation of SNA posts this year. That system of retention of posts was a disaster from day one. I have always said we would not get the full allocation of SNAs and to hear that 202 posts were held back is a disgrace.

We have to seriously examine the transport system in rural areas. It is not up to scratch and many of these people have no alternative. We definitely need to examine it.