Bertie Ahern (Dublin Central, Fianna Fail)

Please, I am responding to Deputy Kenny. I heard Deputy Kenny state he does not believe the placing of pupils with special educational needs in mainstream schools is suitable in all cases. Eight years ago there would have been no more than a few hundred teachers fully involved with special educational needs. Subject to correction, I believe there were approximately 300 or 400. The view of all the experts and in all the reports was that if the children with special needs — there are multiple reasons for such needs — are placed in classes in mainstream schools, they can go to their local school, be with the children they grow up with in their communities, have access to fully qualified teachers and the normal curriculum and integrate with other children from an early age. That is what every report in the 1980s and 1990s suggested should be done in this country.

We started out on that road and there are now approximately 17,000 staff in our schools working solely with children with special educational needs. The Government has made improvements in the area of special education and has made it a major priority. Some €900 million is now being spent on education for students with special needs. Last year or the year before, there was a 40% increase in funding. We have continued to provide resources.

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