Hildegarde Naughton (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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I completely agree around the teacher training. Even observing is not good enough. I would like to see, as a graded part of teacher training practice, part of the qualification in a special class or in a special school and, through continuous professional development, that teachers have access to these courses and we provide more courses. I outlined earlier what I am doing in the budget to open up more places for postgraduate positions.

On assistive technology, the Senator is absolutely correct. This is feedback I am getting from parents as well. We are reviewing the assistive technology scheme to ensure that all children can get technology where they need it. We are looking at the eligibility criteria as well. I welcome any feedback the committee has on that and I would feed that back in. Any assistance there would be much appreciated.