Jonathan O'Brien (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I do not, for one moment, doubt the Minister of State's sincerity about trying to improve the service. I genuinely mean that, because I know her track record in this area. It is very welcome that she has acknowledged today in the Chamber that this project cannot be done on a cost-neutral basis. That is a big fear people have, as the Minister of State will know from the meeting.

I completely agree we must map out the services we need in order to identify the gaps that must be filled. The Minister of State rightly stated there cannot be a situation where people who need services do not receive them. Everybody is entitled to them and should receive them. The mapping process will identify the individuals in question and resources will have to be put in place.

The big fear, however, was about doing the work on a cost-neutral basis. If gaps are being identified which will then have to be plugged with resources, and this is being attempted on a cost-neutral basis, it is easy to understand the fear on the part of parents whose children are attending specialist schools. Their big fear is that in moving to the geographical model services will be taken from some individuals in order to plug the gaps in other areas. The Minister of State's acknowledgment today that perhaps this cannot be done on a cost-neutral basis is a positive step and I am sure if parents heard it they would feel there is an understanding of their fears. If we can achieve this, which is not easy in the circumstances we face with the public finances, perhaps we can have a situation where we do not take from one area that is working well in order to try to compensate another area where there are gaps.

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