Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)

I appeal to the Minister, as Deputy Penrose did, to examine the practical option of taking a retrospective view as of 30 September as this would enable schools to exceed the required enrolment. Until the budget was introduced, learning support and resource hours could be combined to make one full-time post in a school. This is no longer the case and the scenario that has been put to me is that this could result in two teachers going to two different schools on the same day. I understand it has been suggested to the unions that this matter can be fixed through local arrangements. Will the Minister reverse this decision and deal with the issue in a practical manner by allowing learning support and resource hours to be combined if the number of hours is such that it necessitates a full-time appointment? This would reduce unnecessary waste in terms of travel and teachers' time.

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