Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I compliment Deputy Thomas Byrne on tabling this important motion. The NEPS is drastically understaffed, with 95,543 primary and post-primary pupils across almost 400 schools without access to an assigned NEPS psychologist. This is shocking. There also is a serious shortage of special autism spectrum disorder, ASD, classes, at post-primary level. In Clonmel, Tipperary, there are two preschool units set up by a former principal of St. Mary's, Mr. Jimmy Ryan. There are 12 students who will leave those units this September with no place to go. The special educational needs organisers, SENOs, are doing great work, as are the parents of these children with special needs. It is so difficult on them and so unfair.

There is a public meeting taking place in my own school and village tonight at this precise time to inform the public. It is ironic that we are speaking about it here. However, that is eight, nine or ten miles out from Clonmel and people cannot be and should not be travelling. Another is taking place in Burncourt on the other side of the Cahir electoral area. We need them. The town of Clonmel, with 22,000 people, has no national school that has an ASD unit. There are problems with the unit and with boards of management. They are not problems, but they all have to okay it and buy into it. It has to be a whole school management scheme. It needs a bit of enthusiasm. There is a wonderful unit in Ardfinnan led by Ms Mairead Condon.

The Minister is going to have to sit down with the unions. There must be a carrot and a stick. The Minister said earlier that he cannot force them into it. I do not want it to be forced as that would not be in the right spirit. They have to want to do it and do it for the love of children with special needs. We need to have special needs teachers. We cannot force the teachers to go in. We need to have more special needs assistants and more flexibility for them. In setting up these two new units for September, we will be coming to the Department of Education and Skills with begging bowls in the next few weeks looking for funding to do the buildings. I hope they will not be prefabricated. We must get planning for a proper building. I believe it is very important to have a proper type of building. We need to have a reciprocation from the Minister's Department. Where schools, boards of management, principals, parents' councils, parents and teachers want to do this, there must be an engaging Department of Education and Skills that will provide the supports and not hold them back.

I have a son myself going to a special unit in the High School, Clonmel. It is an exceptional unit set up under former principal, Mr. Shay Bannon. There is an exceptional staff and team and it is a major success. It could be used as a template for any part of the country. People go in and out of it and into different classes. It is needed. The figures are compelling. I know that we have come through a torrid recession but special needs children and their parents need all the support they can get. They have enough to do to look after the children on a 24-7 basis. They need to be able to have a school within a reasonable distance, and not have children travelling 21 km from Clonmel to someplace else out of town. It is very important for such towns that there is some bit of stick, rather than carrot, to ensure there are schools for that kind of a population group.

Let us face it: they are all there. All these problems of autism and other issues are being diagnosed. There is early diagnosis, thankfully. In many cases, parents have to pay vast moneys to get the vital early diagnosis. We are playing catch-up totally in this regard.

I wish to highlight the question of DEIS schools as well. The Minister adverted to Tipperary earlier and the Holy Trinity national school in Fethard in particular. It failed to get DEIS status this year.

Tá a lán obair le déanamh ag an Aire. The Minister has much work to do. I always say that where Tipperary leads, Ireland follows. The Minister's bean chéile is from Tipperary so he should look after Tipperary and all the students there.

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