Mr. Dharragh Hunt:

Yes, I can answer that one too. In relation to special education the Deputy makes the point that many parents are fearful of a move to a new system and that is absolutely true. I should preface my comments on special education by saying that I am a member of the National Council for Special Education, NCSE, but I am not here in that capacity. I am here representing the NDA so I am not speaking from the perspective of the NCSE today.

As the Deputy knows, there has been a massive expansion in capacity since 2011, with a 400% increase in special classes. That represents a significant investment but when looking at that we should also look at the inspectorate report from 2019 which raised questions around whether the ramping up of separate provision is appropriate if the goal is more inclusion. That report raised a number of significant issues around placement, restrictions on and reviews of placements, as well as how much interaction children had outside of special classes in many, though not all, schools. Our position is that as the State has signed and ratified the UN Convention, what it needs to do is a have a vision for inclusive education and a plan for how it is going to make the education system more inclusive.

As Dr. Tamming said, we have a unique opportunity at the moment with the review of the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs Act and the imminent arrival of the NCSE policy advice. That said, there is a job of work to bring parents along on that journey and to show them that children can be supported in multiple ways. Being in a separate class is one way but the key is having the qualified, experienced professionals in schools who can provide support so that, for example, children can be in mainstream classes and withdrawn for certain educational opportunities. At the moment we have a rigid system whereby children are either in a mainstream class or in a special class with six other pupils. There needs to be much more flexibility and imagination around how children can be included in schools.