Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I have two questions concerning certain things that are happening at this time. The first relates to the new model for the allocation of special needs assistants. My experience is that where schools experience a sudden relative increase in the number of children with identified special needs in a classroom, the model is not responsive enough. It was previously the case that if a child with autism joined a class, he or she would be guaranteed to be assigned an SNA. That does not seem to be the case at the moment. In addition, there is a still a bias against girls in the allocation of SNAs and special education teachers. I have never understood the basis for that bias and I still do not understand it. Will the Minister of State comment on that issue?

Second, the Minister of State mentioned some of the changes that may be coming under the progressing disability services programmes, including the establishment of disability teams. A significant concern of special schools is that they will lose their multidisciplinary teams under these changes. Can the Minister of State give a commitment that this will not happen as the progressing disability services initiative is expanded throughout the country?

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