Peter Fitzpatrick (Louth, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

One thing we definitely cannot do is put a monetary value on education or health. As the Minister said earlier, the most important thing is early intervention. I think every mother and father would appreciate that, and any help they can get, especially help in the school setting, would be fantastic. I do not think many people do but I definitely welcome the 800 extra SNAs that the Minister announced last week, which is an increase of 7%. Parents really appreciate that. It is so important, as I said earlier, that we catch children at an early stage. A great number of kids come into my constituency office looking for help. The first thing those children should get when they go to school is access to SNAs. I am delighted to see an extra 800 SNAs are to be appointed. I do not think my friend over there, Deputy Thomas Byrne, ever mentioned the extra 800 SNAs. Sometimes a clap on the back to a Minister for doing a good job does no harm.

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