Catherine Byrne (Dublin South Central, Fine Gael)

Just three months ago, the Minister for Education and Science, to whom we have entrusted the education of our children, announced that 534 children in 128 classes in 119 schools would lose the provision of their special needs teachers. We were all shocked and appalled at this announcement, not least the schools and teachers who were not informed before being sent a written letter. The Minister clearly did not consult with parents, teachers or experts in the field of special needs education and did not consider the consequences of his decision.

The Government will gain a saving of €7 million from this ridiculous decision. The Minister must ask himself whether the withdrawal of special needs classes, which are so valuable to children with learning difficulties, will solve anything. It will only cause undue worry and upset and will reduce the standard of education that special needs children need and deserve.

I strongly believe that education is one area where we cannot afford to make any cuts. Special needs education in particular is an area that we must support. We cannot view education like a business or bank. This is about our children's future. It is about the future of the country and giving our children the best start in life. After all, they are the ones who will need to deal with the mess left behind by the Government.

It now seems that the most vulnerable children in our schools will suffer because the Government cannot balance its books. It is ridiculous that schools that do not meet the current minimum requirement of nine pupils with mild general learning disabilities per class will lose a teacher. Of the 119 schools on the Minister's list, 25 are in my area of Dublin South-Central. Nine are in Ballyfermot, seven are in the south-west inner city, four are in Crumlin, three are in Drimnagh and two are in Inchicore. Last week, I spoke to the principal of the Mater Dei primary school in Basin Lane, a DEIS band one school. It will lose a language support teacher and a special needs teacher. The principal is concerned for the future of many of the area's children.

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