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

I thank the Minister for his response. Of course there will be a significant time period involved in acting on any of the recommendations and bringing about change. I ask for the Minister's response on a couple of particular issues. One was regarding children with Down's Syndrome, about whom the Minister asked the NCSE to advise. There are approximately 30 such children per year, as the Minister knows. If they are diagnosed as mild on the intellectual disability spectrum rather than moderate they do not have automatic access to resource teaching hours. These children will enter the system this September, and since there will be a time lag involved in bringing about any proposals the Minister has to change the way resource hours are allocated, a decision is urgent for them. Will the Minister now decide for this September to allocate specific resource teaching hours to those children with Down's Syndrome who are diagnosed as having mild intellectual disability?

There will be an increase in September in the number of children going through our primary school system. The Minister is increasing the number of mainstream teachers by 450 to meet that demand so the pupil-teacher ratio, PTR, does not have to be increased as a result of those additional children coming in. However he is not increasing the number of special needs assistants and resource teachers in the system to match that. There will have to be a reduction somewhere along the line for those who have special needs. That is very unfair. Those who have the greatest needs are suffering as a result of the way the Minister is approaching the finances of the Department on this. Will the Minister ensure that, in the same way he is increasing the number of mainstream teachers, he will also ensure there is no reduction or squeeze on the resources available to those with special needs entering school this September?

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