Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick East, Labour)

I move amendment No. 120:

In page 15, line 28, to delete "children" and substitute "each child".

Many of these amendments are on drafting issues. We discussed amendment No. 120 on Committee Stage which deals with the review of the education plan. The Bill states that the review should cover, "the operation of each education plan for children who are attending the school". I suggest that should refer to "each child". The Minister made the point then that it might include people who do not have a special need as well as those who do. The wording, however, should be changed in some way to differentiate and avoid having an overall plan for a group of children rather than for each individual child who has a need.

Amendment No. 129 seeks to replace the word "request" with the word "require" to strengthen the terminology. Likewise, the change proposed in amendment No. 130 is to strengthen the parents' hand by deleting the phrase "where the principal considers it appropriate to accede to their request" and to give the parents the right to have their request acceded to without the principal's judgment getting in the way. Amendment No. 131 relates to the previous amendment.

See this speech in context