John Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I wish to share time with Deputy Cowen.

I welcome the opportunity to say a few words on this motion and congratulate Deputy McConalogue on putting it forward. We welcome the Minister, Deputy Quinn's, latest realisation that he made a mistake in signing off on an additional 12% cut in resource teaching hours but we are concerned that this latest U-turn has not been extended to the additional 10% cut in SNAs. It will come as a relief to parents and teachers that the Minister again realised that he made a mistake in targeting children with special needs for more cuts in September. However, this is not the full reversal of special needs cuts which the Minister wants us to think it is. While he has decided to reverse the 12% cut to resource hours, the 10% cut to SNA provision still stands. I invite the Minister to come to Enniscorthy, to St. Senan's primary school and to Scoil Mhuire in Wexford. These two centres for autism are finding it very difficult carry on because of the reduction in special needs assistants. The centres mounted a protest before the general election. They criticised the previous Government even though they had more SNAs at that time than now. The incoming Labour Party and Fine Gael Government promised them a significant increase in the number of SNAs. The Minister, Deputy Quinn, did not make that promise but his representatives in Wexford promised an increase in SNAs across County Wexford. This has not happened. A total of 22,000 children across the country who need SNAs will still see a reduction in support when schools resume in September.

The Minister has shown that it is possible to find money to protect crucial services for children with special needs when the will is there to do so. I ask the Minister to look at the SNA situation and to go back to the Cabinet to reverse the SNA cuts. It is very important that schools would be given the correct allocation of SNAs in the interests of the children and their parents. This Government seems to be obsessed with making cuts in the disability sector. I note the cuts in the care grant and the withdrawal of the mobility grant for new applicants. The Minister extended it to September but the withdrawal of the grant for new applicants is causing grave concern.

A meeting was held yesterday in my county attended by myself and by representatives of Deputy Brendan Howlin and Deputy Paul Kehoe. We met people with disabilities who are very angry and annoyed that this Government continues to reduce the level of funding available to them. They outlined the ways in which these cuts have been made over the past two years. They outlined the difficulties encountered in having any reasonable standard of living. It seems to be an obsession with the present Government to cut funding to the less well-off and poorer people and to withdraw moneys from people with disabilities. I have a vested interest in this issue as my daughter has spina bifida and she uses a wheelchair. I have first-hand experience. We are fortunate to be in the VHI but I can see the difficulties faced by people with disabilities.

I welcome the Minister's appointment of Eamon Stack to chair the working group to review special education because such a review is required. I meet parents regularly and they are not very happy with the National Council for Special Education as they regard the assessment process for children for primary and secondary schools as way too slow. I think the Minister will agree that it is very difficult for those waiting to be diagnosed in order to be given the special facilities. I hope that Eamon Stack will rev up the national council so that it will make changes in its assessment procedure for children with disabilities waiting to go to school. I hope he will accelerate the assessment. The procedure is very slow and parents are concerned that this delay is a policy decision to ensure that fewer people will be in a position to avail of the facilities they require. The Minister made a major mistake in his announcement earlier in the week and the reversal of the decision is to be welcomed. In my view he needs to take control of his Department because his officials are coming up with hare-brained ideas that are not in the best interests of young people who want to be properly educated in mainstream education. Many parents of people with disabilities believe they should go to mainstream schools and it is only right that politicians would provide that facility.

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