Martin Kenny (Sligo-Leitrim, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the debate and thank the Rural Independent Group for bringing forward the motion. It is almost 25 years - much has happened since - since the right to a mainstream education was won through court action by parents of children with special needs. That is how all this came about. In fairness, most children today are able to receive the support they need to stay in education. I know many of them and lobby the Minister regularly on behalf children who receive some special assistance but who need more. I can think of children who are at school. There is one child with Down's syndrome who needs assistance, but it was cut last year and the year before. The child is sharing an SNA and really struggling in comparison with where she was three or four years ago. As she reaches the end of primary school and goes to secondary school, it will be more difficult to obtain SNA support.

I recently came upon the case of a seven year old child with type 1 diabetes.

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The child is regularly going low and has passed out several times in the classroom. She needs a full-time permanent special needs assistant. Again, it has been recommended that she share a special needs assistant with another child. We see the same situations in schools throughout the length and breadth of the country.

The comprehensive review was carried out but we need everything in the review to be implemented immediately. I understand a pilot scheme will be run in the south east. That is to be welcomed but we need the scheme rolled out throughout the country. At the moment, children on the autism spectrum cannot really be diagnosed until they are seven or eight years of age. That is normally when the diagnosis takes place. These children need care and intervention long before that. However, in the situation we have at present they are not getting that care.

The essence of the motion is that the recommendations of the comprehensive review need to be brought into action as quickly as possible. I welcome many of the Minister's comments in that respect. Unfortunately, however, the reality of the situation is that we have more children at school and the school population has grown. With this growth, the demand for special needs provision has grown as well. I expect and understand that the Minister will put forward the position that since 2011 the number of SNAs has grown by 50%. However, we need to see the number grow by a further 50% to meet the need that exists. The motion states that we need to put action in place immediately. I commend the motion and I thank the Rural Independent Group for bringing it forward.

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