Charlie O'Connor (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)

I welcome this opportunity to join my colleagues in raising this Adjournment debate. I thank the Ceann Comhairle for his courtesy in the matter and the Minister of State, Deputy John Moloney, will not be offended when I state that I too am disappointed and upset that the Minister was not able to be here. The matter I put before the Ceann Comhairle sums up my views on this issue - I call on the Minister to postpone and review the decision of the special educational needs organisers of the National Council for Special Education on the teaching posts and special needs assistant allocations at St. Joseph's Special School at Balrothery in Tallaght, which is in my constituency.

I will not repeat what my colleagues have stated. We have all been to the school and we have known it for a long time. The Gallery is packed, which is very unusual at this time of night. Teachers, parents and pupils are particularly concerned about this difficult situation. It is very important to emphasise the point that has been just made. I cannot get my head around why anybody, and certainly a professional body, would take a decision to cut staff numbers - if that is what is proposed - in the middle of a school term. I cannot get my head around it but perhaps more experienced colleagues might be able to do so.

One of the points made to us all by the principal on behalf of the school community was that they remain willing to review their mission, to look at the education needs of the area and to respond in a co-operative manner and that it would be much less difficult to achieve this if the threat of drastic staff reductions were removed. Irrespective of what the script of the Minister of State says, that is the message we want to get to the Minister, Deputy Batt O'Keeffe. These decisions should be parked and reviewed and I ask the Minister to carry out that investigation and to respond to us in a positive way.

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