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

It is very unfortunate that, once again, we find ourselves discussing this issue. I am the first to recognise that over the last two budgets the Minister has protected the budget for special education under very difficult circumstances. I believe that reflects his personal feelings about the issue and his priorities. However, I will discuss that later, because there is an issue here that goes beyond the Department of Education and Skills and I will expand on that.

Unfortunately, we are now discussing another cut that was announced last week in the education sector. We have been in this position previously with regard to DEIS and changes in the pupil-teacher ratio in further education colleges. I hope that as a result of this debate, which to my recollection is the third Private Members' motion on education cuts, we will learn a lesson. The lesson that not only the Minister but all of us must learn is that we cannot continue to make announcements and then carry out a review of what the impact of the announcement will be. That happened with DEIS. There was an announcement of the withdrawal of legacy posts and supports for DEIS schools. There was a huge public outcry about it. In fairness, the Minister listened, ordered a review of the decision and partially reversed it. Again, however, that reversal had to be within the education budget and the savings had to be found elsewhere. Schools were hit with an additional cut in their capitation grant.

That also happened with the increase in the pupil-teacher ratio for further education colleges. The Minister announced it and I was very critical of him during that period. In my view, we more or less washed our hands of it and ordered a review to be carried out by the chief executive officers of the vocational education committees, VECs, and the principals. We told them it was up to them to ensure that the impact of that policy decision on the number of courses would have to be limited as much as possible.

That said, I welcome the announcement today, and particularly the announcement that a working group will be established under the stewardship of Mr. Stack. The group will consider developing a new model for the allocation of resources to children with special educational needs. The current model is not one that we should continue to use. There are concerns about it, as we have seen from the report. I was not at the briefing but I met the NCSE separately and discussed it then. Deputy Lyons referred to some of the issues in respect of how it is being used. If one has the means to pay for the assessment, one can get the resources faster. We have all seen situations where those who need the resources should get them regardless of their income or wealth. That is something every Member of the House would like to see happen. The inclusion of parents in the working group is positive and welcome. The fact that the group will start its deliberations immediately and report to the Minister by September is a very positive part of the announcement he made today.

I also recognise that the Department today decided to provide an additional 500 teaching posts to meet the increased demand for resource hours. However, that does not deal with the issue of SNAs.

The Minister stated that he is working according to the cap set by the Fianna Fáil Administration. That is correct, but the reality is that we are not dealing with the same number of people in need of the help of special needs assistants. When the Minister says every student who needs access to a special needs assistant will have such access, we should ask ourselves whether it will be of a reduced kind. That is the question that parents want answered. While we all know children will have access to the resources needed, will it be at the same level as previously enjoyed?

Let me address the announcement made last week. Questions need to be asked as to why it was made. I understand we know the number who require additional supports provided by resource teachers. Last year, the number was 38,400 pupils and this year it is to be 42,500. We knew in advance there would be increased demand for resource hours and research teachers, yet a decision was made last week to make the announcement. It was reported in some media - perhaps the Minister can clarify this - that he asked the NCSE to hold off on the announcement for three weeks. I do not know whether this is the case, but perhaps the Minister can clarify it.

There certainly needs to be a change of focus, because the Cabinet and Departments work in isolation in respect of funding. The Minister for Finance and Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform give each Department a set figure within which it must work every year. It is up to the Minister in each Department, including the Minister for Education and Skills, to work within this budget. This is a flaw in the system. One should consider how the Scandinavian countries dealt with their education systems when in recession. They took funding decisions on a collective basis. Finland, when coming out of recession following the break-up of the Soviet Union, made a collective governmental decision not to decrease the budget for education. The country has reaped the benefits in that it now has one of the best education systems in the world.

It is unfortunate that the Minister for Finance and the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform give each Department a set budget within which it must work. This creates a silo effect. Each Department must scramble to find savings and make cuts. There is no cohesion and no one taking a step back to determine what is best for society as a whole. Every Minister is thinking about how he or she can save money in his or her individual Department. That is not the way to proceed.

There are questions to be asked about why the decision was made last week. I do not understand why the Minister made the announcement last week and reversed it today on foot of the huge public outcry over the weekend, although the reversal is to be welcomed. The reversal does not excuse the fact that the wrong decision was made in the first instance. It caused considerable anxiety. The trouble with this way of engaging in politics is that people are now wondering whether they just have a temporary reprieve. The Minister stated that further savings would be required in the budget for next year. Some €44 million was originally intended to be cut from the education budget next year, but this sum will obviously be increased to make up for the announcement made today. There is real fear that the reprieve is only temporary.

We need to reassure people that the State will do what is required for children with special educational needs, because it is their right. We cannot continue to make announcements and then hold up our hands and say we were wrong and will carry out a review. We must stop operating in this way; we need to know the impact of policy decisions before we make announcements. One way we can do this is by budget-proofing announcements before they are made. I have never been the Minister and do not know how the Department works but I am sure the Minister is presented with a number of options for making savings and that he must then make a decision as head of the Department. I am sure an impact analysis is carried out on each option. The Minister must have some idea of the consequences of decisions. Reversing announcements and carrying out reviews is not the right way to operate.

I have commended the Minister in the past as he and the Minister of State, Deputy Cannon, have introduced some very progressive Bills. The Bills pertaining to Quality and Qualifications Ireland, the education and training boards, and further education and training were very progressive and reforming and will benefit generations to come. All of this good work gets lost when we make decisions such as the one that was made. Tonight, we are discussing special educational needs. Families with children with such needs are worried about what is coming down the line. They worry that the reprieve is temporary.

I do not know whether the Minister has determined where we will find the money. When there was a reversal in respect of DEIS, there was a decrease in the capitation grant for the schools. Has the Minister made a decision on where he will make the budgetary savings as a result of today's announcement?

In his contribution, the Minister referred to disgraceful Anglo Irish Bank telephone conversations that have been publicly aired. This is absolutely despicable stuff. It frustrates and really angers people to see the economic state of the country resulting from poor decisions by bankers and former Governments. Ordinary citizens are bearing the brunt of the decisions. I hope we will all learn from this. We cannot continue to do business as we are doing, namely, by making announcements, reversing them and then proceeding to reviews. There ought to be long-term planning for the education system. We need to consider a collective, cohesive approach from the Cabinet in this regard. I would love to see every Minister recognise the importance of education to economic recovery. As a result of importance being attached to education, I would love to see a collective decision made by the Cabinet to protect the education budget. This is done elsewhere and I do not see why we need to continue operating as we are. At present, two Ministers allocate the budget and the others must make cuts. It is almost like a scene from Oliver Twistin that Ministers are being forced to return to the Minister for Finance and the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform to say, "Please, sir, I want some more". It is the wrong approach.

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