Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

We will set up a group to assess the programme over the course of its first year of operation. This will give us an early indication of its success. Regarding the other aspect, that is, the roll-out of the programme, the investment involved is €2.25 million, mainly from my Department but also from the Department of Children and Youth Affairs. We will have the Educational Research Centre working with us to undertake the research and ensure that the gains are being achieved. We believe the programme will achieve more in terms of early intervention, and the gaps that often occur between children seeing speech and language therapists will not be fallow gaps until the next appointment but can be used by the speech and language therapist working with the teacher and the special needs assistants. The programme will involve training for those staff to ensure we get better continuity. I am very confident, therefore, that it will be successful and that we will see it extended. However, I cannot extend it until that work is done and, obviously, a budgetary dimension will have to be planned in the longer term if we are to extend it nationwide. Nonetheless, this year we were able to get money for a pilot and I am very pleased about that.

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