Josepha Madigan (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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On the banking of hours, a number of families criticised the arrangement last year where special education teachers, SETs, could be used to bank hours because they felt their children were not getting the support when they needed it. There is no withdrawal of provisions; it just means that SETs will be used for the purpose they should be used. SETs should not be used for substitution purposes. As a last resort schools were allowed to use them where there were substitution issues and where there were teacher absences but hopefully with the success of the vaccine roll-out and the measures the Minister has put in place, that need should not be there in the same way it was in the past. Schools have been asked not to bank those hours because children with additional needs require the support there and then. Otherwise they are getting intensive teaching in a short space and time, when it should be done over a period of time. We acknowledge that there was a substitution crisis and I hope that has been resolved in the main.