Beverley Flynn (Mayo, Fianna Fail)

I understand the role Opposition Deputies must play and that they must bring these matters into the public domain. I feel just as angry and aggrieved as Members on that side of the House. Children with special needs in County Mayo are just as important as those anywhere else throughout the country and I feel equally strongly about it.

To be honest, I do not have any great difficulty with the review of SNAs. However, I would like to think that a genuine independent appeal mechanism outside of the NCSE would be available to people, particularly in the case of the last resort, as one would call it, which is the independent examination of the appeal process. I am not happy with that at all because it only deals with the process of the appeal as opposed to the in-depth detail of what constituted the issue in the first place.

The Minister, Deputy Coughlan, can start off her time in education in a constructive way by looking at these two issues and effecting change, which will not mean any great difference in terms of resources but which will mean a great deal to children with special needs.

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