Ciarán Cannon (Galway East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

It is most certainly not the intention of the Department to force anybody to go court to have the maximum possible benefits conferred upon their children in terms of their special requirements in a classroom setting. I want to point out to the Deputy once again that health professionals have an expertise in the care needs of children with special needs - nobody is denying that. That expertise is valuable in determining ultimately what types of support are available within the school setting. It is the NCSE or the network of SENOs across the country who have that unique expertise in determining the supports required. In doing so, they need to look at the layout of the school, what other special needs supports are already in place and whether they need to be augmented to prepare for a particular child. They must have an opportunity to observe the child's performance and behaviour in a classroom setting and his or her interaction with the teachers. It is only they who have the expertise to determine that.

In response to an earlier question, I pointed out that at the end of this year there will be no question of diminishing resources for children with special needs. We will have the highest number of SNAs in the history of State. We will have 480 extra resource teachers in place at the end of this year and we will have another 480 extra resource teachers in place at the end of next year. We are working hard within the resources available to us to support children with special needs.

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