Terence Flanagan (Dublin North East, Fine Gael)

I thank Deputy Brian Hayes for tabling the motion. I also thank those in the Visitors Gallery who have travelled from different parts of the country to be present.

Last year the Government introduced 32 cruel education cutbacks in the budget, which included reducing by 200 the number of primary and secondary schools and axing special needs teachers and 100 special classes. As a result, young people were forced to pay for the mistakes of this Government. Two schools in my constituency, Dublin North East, were particularly affected - St. Kevin's and the Donahies community school. Surplus students were moved into those classes because the teachers were made redundant. The classrooms, which were already full to the brim, have become unworkable for the teachers concerned.

We on this side of the House do not believe the Government when it talks about its policy of inclusion. It is withdrawing educational supports from classrooms for reasons of cost saving. Inclusion will only work if children with special needs are supported with adequate resources rather than cutting down on special needs assistants, who are very much needed in mainstream classrooms. The increase in class size and the withdrawal of special needs assistants is proof that the Government is not being honest and that it is making decisions for cost-saving reasons.

Last September, I visited St. Helen's special needs school in Portmarnock with which Deputy Reilly would be familiar and I spoke with the children there. They pleaded for the retention of the special class comprising seven students who need the help and extra supports they were receiving. They are absolutely lost since they were put into a mainstream education class. That is a shame on the Government.

The Tánaiste, who is the new Minister for Education and Skills must consider the situation, freeze the current review of special needs assistants and publish the NCSE's report on the issue without further delay.

Reference was made to the figure of 1,200 yesterday in that the first tranche of 1,200 developers moved into NAMA. We also have the situation whereby 1,200 special needs assistants have been made, in effect, redundant. As a result of that decision, many pupils have lost out on their hope for extra help and support in the future. As Deputy Naughten said, we can come up with €40 billion to put into a dead bank but we cannot come up with a few million to ensure that these cuts do not happen.

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