Joe Flaherty (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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I thank both unions for coming in and giving excellent presentations. There is no doubt that the country is facing many challenges. One of the defining challenges of our time, for which a call to action is required, is the need to address the deficiencies in special education. I acknowledge that the change in the socio-economic landscape has fed into that in terms of additional challenges and providing infrastructural resources and all of that, which needs to be factored in.

One of the great successes we have had as a country has been the partnership model. No one better emphasises that better than the teachers. Teachers' unions and teachers have led the way on partnership. They have been community and school leaders. I was struck by what Ms Leydon said about the changing dynamic in moving from the perception of a 19th-century teacher. I spoke with a principal who has a large number of special needs classes in his school. One of the things that would assist him the most would be if he had a principal's assistant, which would be a new, non-teaching role. We have to take this on board if we expect our teachers to be at the front line of child welfare. Throughout the Covid pandemic, how many times did we ask teachers to be the front line? Local gardaí also relied on teachers during that period.

I greatly value the partnership model and what the unions and its members have done thus far. To emphasise this model, I was struck by what Ms Leydon said in that some traditional schools have not engaged in the summer programme. I also accept there were issues with payments, but I am hopeful that will be addressed this year. In the spirit of the partnership model, we have to get to a point where it is not acceptable for special schools not to deliver a summer programme. It was for those schools that the scheme was envisaged. Those parents are in greatest needs of the summer programme and are really struggling. If a special needs child misses out in that, the whole house is thrown into chaos. Union representatives have come here with their asks and we will take them on board, but they should bring the message back to special needs schools, in particular, that it is not acceptable for schools to continue the stance of not delivering the summer programme.

I come from Longford where we have a problem with the children's disability network team, CDNT, which I flagged with the Minister of State, Deputy Madigan. The team is particularly understaffed and is at 50% capacity per capita. We have the longest waiting times in the country for diagnostic assessments. We have 37 young people who have been waiting 48 months or more for an initial assessment. In hard numbers, it amounts to six special needs classes that have not been filled because the assessments were not done.

The CDNTs should look after preschool initial assessments. We should consider giving the funding for therapies directly to schools and let them administer the funding and bring in the therapies. This is a broad question to throw at the union representatives today, but what are their thoughts on such an option whereby the schools are given the funding and power to bring in and manage those therapies?