Tony Gregory (Dublin Central, Independent)

Will the Minister answer the specific question? Does she accept that small disadvantaged inner city schools have a real and genuine difficulty with the current allocation of special needs teachers? I am disappointed that in recent written replies to my parliamentary questions, the Minister failed to answer which nine schools had lost special needs teachers. The INTO was able to answer the question for me in one hour. Is the Minister aware that schools serving Sheriff Street, Summerhill, Ballybough, O'Devaney Gardens and Dorset Street, areas located in the heart of drug task force areas which are by-words for disadvantage and in which school teachers, parents and children experience major difficulties, have lost special needs teachers in the past year, despite the fact the children for whom the teachers in question catered were immediately replaced by other children who are not now being catered for?

Will the Minister please consider meeting, as a group, the nine principals of the schools concerned? I am confident that if she was fully informed on this issue——

See this speech in context