Brian Hayes (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)

I am glad the Minister gets the facts because they are changing day in, day out. The initial position of the NCSE was that it had jurisdiction over this school when it came to teaching posts. Now the Minister has changed the story. Now his Department is telling me, through him, that he will decide on teaching posts. This is being made up as the Minister goes along between the NCSE and the Department.

Will the Minister visit the school? He can put any fancy term he wants on an educational disability that the NCSE has told him to tell me in this House today, but he must visit the school and see these children. These are challenging children. In many circumstances, one SNA is needed per child as a means of trying to get the learning opportunity for everyone verified in that school. Mid-year, the Minister and the Government has already taken away four SNA posts from this school and is now proposing to take away another four posts. Is that fair?

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