Michael McCarthy (Cork South West, Labour)

I thank the Ceann Comhairle for allowing me to raise this issue that came to light last week. It is a perfect example of a topical issue.

The Minister of State will be aware due to his own situation in Galway and his position in the Department of the emotive nature of SNA provision. Every case is exceptional but because of the unique circumstances surrounding the Maria Immaculata community college in Dunmanway, it is particularly exceptional because there is a designated special unit in the school and, as a result, there are special classes. I am sure the Minister of State will say in his reply that there are SNAs in the mainstream as well but we must bear in mind in this case that there will be 17 pupils in a special class in this school from September.

The Minister of State will know that the National Council for Special Education announced last week the resource teaching and SNA posts for the 2012-13 school year. There is considerable merit that there has been no change in the overall level of resources for allocation to schools but I wish to bring to his attention the particular case of MICC in Dunmanway. Last week the college was informed it would lose four SNAs in September, with numbers falling from 15 to 11. This is a disturbing and distressing move for the parents of children in the special classes. It is an exceptional case in my view. The number of special needs children will increase by two in September but the overall SNA allocation will decrease by four. That is particularly difficult to comprehend when we consider the overall level of SNAs in the system will remain the same for the 2012-13 academic year as for the 2011-12 academic year.

MICC is home to a designated special needs unit, which is growing by two, making it one of the biggest groups of its kind in the Munster region. Disabilities in the unit are complex and wide-ranging. Some pupils have incontinence issues and sensory difficulties and need assistance with basic living skills, such as eating or going to the bathroom. The prospect of having to share various SNAs throughout the day is untenable for certain pupils because their needs are so multifaceted. I have been in regular contact with the parents and teaching staff of MICC since news of the SNA reduction first reached them last week. What has clearly been communicated to me is that stability and consistency in the support they receive are key for all of the pupils. Nurturing and developing stable and consistent relationships between pupils and their SNAs can take years, as it takes time for pupils to settle into a routine, adapt to a system and get used to an SNA, but this is set to be undermined, with many pupils moving from having their own SNA to merely having access to one.

There is also a tangible fear among parents that special educational needs organisers, SENOs, are overriding the views of psychologists and disregarding psychological assessment reports that recommend a certain level of SNA provision for a child. They are particularly worried about the ruling that psychologists should not make specific recommendations. I sincerely hope that is not the case and I have every faith that SENOs will take into serious consideration the assessments provided for them and the interaction between psychologists and SNAs. It is worth bearing this issue in mind in the debate.

I have spoken to an official in the National Council for Special Education, NCSE, about the case at MICC and in the next few weeks I intend to have a face to face meeting with the local SENO, with whom I hope to interact on the rationale and logic behind the decision. What I find most difficult about the issue is the process involved in arriving at a conclusion such as this. I acknowledge the fact that the overall SNA allocation will be the same in 2012-13 as this year. That is important when one considers that the Government is borrowing €1.25 billion a month to fund essential public services before it ever goes near the banking debt. Many cases will rightly be made to Ministers and the Government to retain services in various areas, but this is one area in which every effort should be made to retain the level of service provided. I ask the Minister of State to be cognisant of this.

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