Joe Costello (Dublin Central, Labour)

I congratulate the Minister on her appointment. I am aware of her experience in the area of teaching and I am sure she will bring those skills and that professionalism to her new job. I wish her well.

Listening to her contribution tonight was a bit like listening to the Taoiseach this afternoon. He stated that he knew all about the problems in the health service in the past 30 years and about the present problems, and that he would deal with the problems in the future. At the same time, vast amounts of money were being put into the health service and, as we now know, that service is in crisis.

Unfortunately, the situation on special needs education is not dissimilar. The most significant statement in the Minister's contribution is what will happen in the context of the special needs Act 2004. The Minister said the Act will give all children with special educational needs the enforceable right to an educational assessment. She referred to duties and the advent, at last, of an holistic and integrated approach on the part of the Ministers for Finance, Health and Children and Education and Science. She said the approach will ensure that adequate resources will be provided for the delivery of services. The Minister has not indicated when the full force of the Act will be implemented, however. It is important that we should know when the wonderful new dispensation will be introduced.

The Minister has stated that many resources have been allocated to this area in the past. The Minister of State, Deputy Brian Lenihan, has recounted the resources. It can also be said that many resources have been invested in the health service, but it is still in a crisis because the resources have not been used effectively. Deputies will have noticed that the Minister of State's list did not contain a reference to classroom assistants. The abolition of community employment schemes has meant that the number of people from the community offering assistance in classrooms, particularly in disadvantaged areas, has decreased significantly. Perhaps the Government could reinstate the assistants as part of its contribution in this area.

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