Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Wednesday, 26 April 2023

Select Committee on Children and Youth Affairs

Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 40 - Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (Further Revised)

Photo of Pádraig O'SullivanPádraig O'Sullivan (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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I have one last question and a comment about PDS. Deputies Ó Murchú and Tully and I are on the Joint Committee on Autism. We were given a presentation a number of months ago by a family or group from Mayo, where PDS are not experiencing the same levels of staffing vacancy as other parts of the country, although I will not say they are adequately resourced. There is a reasonably decent level of staffing there. It surprised us to hear this group say that, in Mayo, PDS are working much better than the previous model. It is better resourced, better staffed and backed up. It was eye opening for me to hear that PDS can work. We can make it work and need to do so. There is no magic wand but it needs to be said. That group changed my mind despite my experiences in CHO 4, where we unfortunately have a great number of vacancies. That is a point rather than a question.

My last question is on something I raised with the Minister of State in the Dáil last week in the context of Carrigaline Community Special School. There is a new special school coming to Carrigtwohill in east Cork and it is hoped another will be coming to Glanmire in my own area soon. There is an issue there. The education and training board was appointed the patron but community disability network teams are not being aligned to that new patronage. Typically, such a school would be under the Cope Foundation, the Brothers of Charity or whatever. What is the story with that? Can we clarify it for once and for all? I know the Minister of State gave me an answer last week but will she again put on the record whether that is going to change? I believe she said it would change in May.