Dáil debates

Thursday, 7 March 2013

4:40 pm

Photo of Seán SherlockSeán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour) | Oireachtas source

The Children's Rights Alliance report noted that the Department of Education and Skills received an overall "B-minus" grade for solid progress, particularly in literacy, patronage and school buildings. This is one of the highest grades given to any Department and reflects well on the overall performance of our education system.

The National Council for Special Education, NCSE, has advised that an additional investment of up to €235 million per annum across the education and health sectors would be required to fully implement the EPSEN Act. In the Department's view, the level of investment required could be greater. While the Minister has done his best to date to preserve overall funding for special education, it has not been possible to identify additional resources from within the education budget to cover this cost.

The NCSE has been asked to provide policy advice on how the education system can best support children with special needs. This advice will guide the preparation of a plan on how aspects of EPSEN can be implemented, including prioritising access of children with special needs to an individual education plan.

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