Ms Mary Byrne:

I am conscious that there are many questions but I will finish on this point. I support what Ms Maher has said. We should think about the educational system in Ireland as a continuum of provision. We recognise that the majority of students should be included with their peers in mainstream education to the greatest extent possible. However, we also recognise that there are some children for whom that may not be possible for all of the day or week. Therefore, we have special classes and special schools as well. The National Council for Special Education has looked into this in other countries. Most European countries have a continuum of provision in place in some shape or other. We have both here. It should be individualised for the child.

My colleagues can address some of the other questions.