Kathleen Funchion (Carlow-Kilkenny, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The last point the Minister made is exactly the suggestion I was going to make. If there is a new scheme such as the national day scheme being considered the Minister should look to extend the current scheme. The school I referred to, the Enable Ireland Sandymount school programme, was funded by the parents of the children, with a reduced capacity when funding was withdrawn in 2010. It was so important to the parents and their children that they raised the funds for that themselves. When funding was re-introduced in 2013 it was announced that it would only apply to children with a severe impairment, intellectual disability or a diagnosis of autism. However, these children have very complex physical needs and there is really no reason for them to be excluded.

Home support from tutors is really not a one-size-fits-all solution for students. For many parents, there is such a difficulty in accessing any sort of respite care that the July provision can be a help. If it is not available they will not get any respite at all. The Minister should meet with the parents of the children from this school so that they can explain exactly how important the July break is for them. If a new scheme is being considered that is fair enough, but we all know that new schemes can take years to come in and the children are left in limbo during that wait.

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