Charlie McConalogue (Donegal North East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for his reply. There is no doubt that the paper is a very thoughtful and constructive contribution to the debate. While the landscape for special needs education has been transformed over the past 15 years, we must always take stock, re-evaluate and see how things can be done better in future. We are now spending €1.3 billion annually on special education with some 10,000 resource teachers and 10,000 special needs assistants also. They are delivering a fantastic service to school children, which is much needed.

The report contained a disappointing finding on enrolment in certain schools. It found that in some schools there were soft barriers to the enrolment of children with special needs. How does the Minister intend to address that particular issue? In response to the report, the INTO said the proposals could roll back 20 years of progress. The INTO also said that the current system, while not perfect, ensured that children got access to resource teaching in a timely fashion. The union also said that parents should view the NCSE report through the lens of another potential cutback which would reduce resources for teachers while increasing paperwork and bureaucracy. In addition, the INTO said that rather than giving resources to children, this plan talks about giving access to resources. How does the Minister respond to the INTO's assertions concerning the NCSE report?

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