Margaret Murphy O'Mahony (Cork South West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Last week during a debate on special needs assistants, my good colleague, Deputy Thomas Byrne, highlighted how some parts of the report are deemed urgent by the NCSE. One of these concerns complex medical needs. The report states the NCSE wrote to the Minister in early 2017 highlighting a major crisis regarding complex medical needs and noting that nursing support should be provided to schools, SNAs and teachers to address these needs. The report is blunt on this point, stating that if action is not taken, there will be a crisis in schools. The issue needs to be addressed immediately. The report notes the Minister responded by establishing a working group, but here we are, about a year and a half after the NCSE warned of the crisis in schools if nursing support was not provided, and the Minister still has not made any announcement on the provision of nursing support in schools. When exactly can we expect this?

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