Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein)

I asked that the Minister look at the idea of a review in this area.

The Minister stated that the allocation for schools like this will increase, but this particular school tells me that on 27 June it was told it was losing two staff and, subsequently, it has been informed that it will lose one. I am not sure whether that one is because the numbers are not growing in the school. That is a possibility.

My main argument is that these children, because of the multiple disabilities that many of them have, are outside the normal structure in the allocation for schools. The Minister stated in his reply that he has taken cognisance of that but the difficulty is that this school is one of those that will lose a teacher. Basically, that is what I am asking the Minister about.

We all stood for election on the matter. I note the positive manifesto the Minister set out in supporting schools, parents and children with special educational needs. I suppose people want to see that coming about.

This is one school that is affected. It is losing a teacher. It will make it more difficult for those teachers in the school. It also will be more difficult to impart an education in the school because it is losing a teacher.

I do not know whether there was an extra allocation in the school. I suppose my appeal is that for schools like this there is a need to look at all of those multiple disabilities. The argument of many in the sector is that the Minister is not taking cognisance of this and really looking at the needs of the child, and this is more about the needs of the education system rather than the needs of the child. It is on that basis, on behalf of the most vulnerable children in the education system, that I ask that the Minister have a look at this again. It is an area worth looking at. The parents deserve at least that the Minister look again at this process.

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