Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the announcement, like everyone else, of the change heart by the Minister and of the provision of 500 additional teaching posts from September. However, there is a caveat, which is a concern. I come from an area with one of the highest birth rates in the country. That is the profile of three counties on the periphery of Dublin where class sizes are higher than anywhere else because the preceding year's enrolment is used to calculate special education needs provision. An area with that profile is at a disadvantage all the time. Pupil-teacher ratios can be different from class sizes and when an area has the highest class size in the country, that creates an additional concern.

Special education needs provision over the years was disgracefully unmet, even during the good times. I recall that during my previous tenure as a Member in the 29th Dáil, I asked a series of parliamentary questions about how much had been spent fighting parents in court. Parents were routinely in the courts seeking appropriate education for their children and over the preceding three years €20 million had been spent fighting them. They played a major role during the time of perceived plenty trying to develop services because people will no longer accept that children with special needs are second class citizens.

In addition to the issue of the number of teaching posts, the conflict between the Department and the HSE in the provision of speech and language therapy and occupational therapy places is a major issue. I came across a case in recent days where children are taken out of school and marched to a clinic. If they do not live in the HSE catchment area, they are not provided with a service, which is not good enough. This dispute means children are paying the price. It is a disgrace that adults are rowing and children are losing out. This needs to be dealt with as a matter of urgency. I intend to send a note to the Minster and to the Minister of State at the Department of Health, Deputy Alex White, about this case.

The terminology used by the Government refers to the amount spent on special education needs but we need to use different language and refer to the money invested. When money is invested in children at an early age, a significant return is generated. There needs to be an early diagnosis of needs in order that the window of learning opportunity is grasped as early as possible.

I am concerned that an historical model is used to count class sizes. In an area with an expanding population, there should be a means of predicting that the growth will continue if it has been the pattern because a disadvantage is currently in built into the system. The State is then trying to play catch up with therapy services as was demonstrated to be the case when the posts were announced earlier this year. The area that was due to get the lion's share was Tallaght-Kildare- west Wicklow and, therefore, the disadvantage was doubled. I routinely meet parents who are almost permanent lobbying for essential services for their children. Will the Minister examine the historical counting of pupil numbers because in an area with the highest birth rate, this results in an unfair disadvantage?

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