Batt O'Keeffe (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)

I did not interrupt Deputies. The principle of inclusion is now well established internationally. The comments of the Leader of the Opposition last year should have been a matter of considerable personal shame for him. In calling Deputy Kenny's comments "disgraceful", Deputy Ruairí Quinn reflected the views of enlightened educational experts around the world. It was hoped that Deputy Kenny's insensitive remarks were just an unfortunate choice of words and that he does not really want to see a return to the restrictive and unjust policies of the past when children with special needs were unnecessarily sidelined from mainstream education and isolated from their peers for no good reason. I shudder at the thought.

With this motion, Deputy Kenny's party is yet again showing that it does not understand children with special educational needs. Fine Gael does not value that "regular schools with this inclusive orientation are the most effective means of combating discriminatory attitudes, creating welcoming communities, building an inclusive society and achieving education for all". These are not my words but the view of UNESCO as written in the Salamanca statement and framework for action on special needs education in 1994.

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