Terence Flanagan (Dublin North East, Fine Gael)

I thank the Ceann Comhairle's office for the opportunity to raise this important issue. The Dyslexia Association of Ireland made a presentation to the Joint Committee on Finance and the Public Service at the end of July explaining the difficulties it faced, in addition to the problems encountered by the parents of dyslexic children. It was an informative presentation. Sad to say, no action has been taken by the Government since the presentation was made.

The Dyslexic Association of Ireland has received a paltry €63,500 in grant aid from the Department of Education and Science each year for the past ten years. The Department only agreed to fund the association yesterday for 2008 in spite of the fact that a submission for funding was submitted well over a year ago. That shows a complete disrespect for the staff of the Dyslexia Association and for children with dyslexia who have been treated with contempt. That is a crazy situation and it makes it almost impossible for the association to plan ahead for the next year, never mind for the next three or five years. It is almost as if the funding being provided is an afterthought. The association cannot grow or expand its service or meet the service needs of its members. It is shameful as well that the funding has never been increased over the past ten years, even though the country was awash with money during the Celtic tiger years. This is a disgrace, given the level of inflation over the past ten years. The Fianna Fáil-led Government has never carried out a study to find out how may children suffer from dyslexia. The funding received by the Dyslexia Association of Ireland is being used very wisely for assessments and funding for disadvantaged children, so clearly value for money is being achieved. It is a voluntary association, with 31 branches throughout the country. I want to take this opportunity to thank the staff for the great work they do in helping children who suffer from dyslexia. It provides specialist out of school workshops, which cater for 1,000 children who have been diagnosed with dyslexia. Sadly, the association has had to discontinue its very successful summer school this year because parents cannot afford the fees. Clearly children are suffering because of the lack of support from the Government for dyslexia victims.

The Government must set its priorities and adequately fund the Dyslexia Association of Ireland, not just pay lip service to it. This Government has squandered and wasted hundreds of millions over the past ten years. That is one of the reasons we find ourselves where we are, in the current economic difficulties. We have electronic voting machines just collecting dust. They cost hundreds of thousands in storage fees each year. Why can the Government not take a decision to scrap these machines and set this money aside to help and support the Dyslexia Association of Ireland and other organisations that find themselves in the same situation?

The Dyslexia Association of Ireland gives hope and help to those children who struggle with English and basic learning. The Government has prided itself on the standard of education in the country, but clearly all children are not being treated equally or given the same help and opportunities.

Every euro spent in early intervention education yields a return of €7 in later years. I support the association's campaign for having tax legislation amended so that tuition fees for children attending association workshops, which cost between €800 and €900, should become tax deductible. Perhaps the Minister of State might consider supporting such a tax concession for tuition fees, and raising this with the Minister for Finance. It is estimated that the cost of allowing this tax relief would be €200,000, while at the same time the Dyslexia Association of Ireland pays the Revenue that amount in taxes. This means it would be revenue neutral for the Exchequer.

I ask the Minister of State and the Department of Education and Science to get real on this issue and adequately fund the Dyslexia Association of Ireland. Can he please give certainty to this association by starting to fund it properly, and not make it wait to the last days of the year for confirmation as regards funding, which is totally unsatisfactory at the moment?

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