Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Dara Murphy, for taking this issue. It has been a difficult task over the past few years as we are talking about children and specifically the education of children, with funding coming through the Health Service Executive. Really, the issue spans three Departments but I am focusing on support and funding, which comes under the Department of Health.

It is safe to say that early years are some of the most important in our lives. In particular, the preschool years are so important when it comes to children's learning.

Children are constantly learning new things. They are constantly developing as young children and they develop new friendships outside the family. Until they reach a certain age, their families provides all the support needed, but it is important that children be allowed to create their own identities and to grow. It is equally important that they grow and develop with their own peers, in an environment with other young children. Nobody, whether he or she has a physical disability, a mental disability, a health problem or any other kind of problem, should be left behind. Everybody should be given the same opportunity.

This Government has turned the focus back onto children. We are the first Government to create a Department specifically for children and young people and that is particularly important to me. A large part of my week is spent focusing on issues relating to children and young adults. The previous Government introduced the free early childhood care and education, ECCE, scheme, which has worked very well, and I am glad to see that our Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Deputy James Reilly, has extended that this year, among other initiatives focusing on children and their development. I thank the Minister for the work he has done in the past year and in particular for the recent additional funding to help those with disabilities to access this free year. There must be equal inclusion for all.

In my own county we have Meath Fight for the Future, an organisation made up of mothers, fathers, carers and service providers fighting for the rights of their children and other children with special needs. While there should not be groups such as this, there are, and I hope their time will soon be done. At the moment, children in Meath who have a disability are getting funding through the HSE to avail of additional supports, so the 15 hours are often split over the two years. Some are getting two days in one year and three in the following year.

The Minister has announced an additional €10 million in funding and he is launching the report of the interdepartmental group, which will set out the model for the support soon enough. However, we have a situation in Meath in which there are six children who have no additional support and no additional funding. While the funding was not cut this year, due mainly to the campaign led by Meath Fight for the Future - I thank the HSE for the support it is providing - 15 children are not getting any funding this year and there are more children who need to avail of the additional support. Not only are they not getting the 15 hours, they are not even getting the two days, and it is not fair. It is extremely stressful and upsetting for parents and for the children themselves.

Children are smart; they pick up on the smallest of things. In fact, they pick up on everything. For a child not to be able to avail of the free ECCE year along with his or her peers is not right. It is not going to cost a lot of money. We are not talking about hundreds of children - we are talking about six - so surely some funding can be found until next year, when the scheme is properly brought in, so that these children are not left wanting. I welcome the fact that things are going to happen next year, but parents should not have to suffer for it this year. I ask the Minister to help in any way he can or to consider some form of support for these children.

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