Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for raising this issue because it is of great interest to parents, in particular, of children with special needs, as well as schools in general. As is the case with anything of this nature, we have to be very careful with the introduction of a new model. At the same time, it has been clearly identified by the National Council for Special Education that the current system, which in many cases requires a medical diagnosis to put facilities in place for children in schools, discriminates against parents who cannot afford a diagnosis.

It also causes the problem mentioned by the Deputy whereby we want to have the resources in the school when the child goes there. We all agree that looking to change the model is good.

I acknowledge that there are concerns. We must find a way to figure out which schools will have the requirement for extra resource teachers. We want to give every school an element of resource hours for the children. We must try to find a way to provide those resources for the schools with particular requirements for complex needs, etc. The consultation is ongoing and we have not made a decision as to exactly how it will apply in schools. I am very keen to get the views of people particularly affected by this, as well as Deputies. If we are going to replace this model, we must ensure we can replace it with something better than what is currently in place and which is fair to all children.

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