Michael Moynihan (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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A number of issues keep cropping up. The transport section in the Department is under the Minister of State's remit. I refer to the special transport, either the grant for the family or the provision of transport through a taxi or through a company. Issues arise and are ongoing. Indeed, a number of parents I spoke to had to take the case to court to try to get the transport because they were moving from a special school to where there were better facilities and more avenues for their child to progress.

There are also technical issues such as the delay when the parent or guardian makes the application through the school for transport. In September, October and November, families are always in limbo. I, for one, have seen many families that have gone through an unsure period because they did not get a straight answer from the transport section for special education. Is it up to specification or is it something that has been flagged with the Minister of State? Should a greater emphasis be put on families that have made decisions to go to a particular school which is outside of their area and the transport grant, and the frustration that they experience? The schools will say that it will take time as well. Schools that are experienced in dealing with the Department say that there is frustration or a lack of urgency within the transport section of the Department. Has that been flagged with the Minister of State?

This morning a number of members raised the exceptional reviews for special needs assistants. We have one school in north Cork, Freemount, which has gone into its fourth exceptional review because of the change in dynamics in the classroom. I spoke with the Minister of State earlier in the year about Newmarket. Even though it is clear from the professionals, the teachers and the board of management accept that there is need for more special needs assistants, SNAs, to provide the best quality of education to the children who are coming through, they experience frustration. Then the Department comes back looking for another review, which is almost submitting the same language - changing it around slightly but resubmitting it for a review. It takes a long time for that review to take place. The schools are highly professional in how they deal with their business. When they present a case to the Department, they are always presenting a case in the best interest of their children who are coming in and for the school community. There is a slowness in dealing with the exceptional reviews. I wonder if that is the Minister of State's experience.

People are travelling long distances for special schools. Has the Department looked at any real audit of the country and seen that there are large geographical areas that do not have special schools? The Department should have a long-term plan to aim to put schools into particular locations.

As the Minister of State mentioned Cork city and Dublin, the issues in the large urban centres will be a noose around our necks in years to come because of the lack of services that are there, and when people have to move out. I had one family in contact with me yesterday who were living in the city centre of Dublin and they are going out to Kildare for services. That is not acceptable. It is a considerable challenge for the Department to make sure that they are getting it right. Has there been an audit from the Department's point of view to see the gaps in the services and the challenges that are there?