Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

This has dragged on for a very long time. The Stack report, which was produced by a former inspector in the Department of Education and Skills, has set out a new pilot scheme for the early assessment of children in a way that is radically different from what has applied up to now. This budget has increased the number of resource teachers by 46% and special needs assistants by 22%. The Minister for Education and Skills, Deputy Richard Bruton, is working on a new model to strengthen the function and capacity of resource teaching in schools, which will deal with this. The changes over time will allow for the fulfilment of the remaining sections of the EPSEN Act that remain to be dealt with.

There was an increase in funding for the disability sector yesterday. Obviously, the moving of the speech and language therapists into schools will be of enormous help in terms of the multidisciplinary approach the Deputy rightly refers to. The Minister is considering that but would like to see the impact of a number of pilot schemes first.

Not everything is included in this budget but there is a significant increase the number of resource teachers and special needs assistants and a strengthening of the functions and capabilities of resource teachers under the model. A number of pilot schemes on the moving of multidisciplinary skills into schools are being examined. The Minister is anxious to see how that might work in practice.

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