Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

That should be acknowledged. There needs to be balance in the debate here.

Ministers do not allocate to every individual school across the country. We cannot be expected to do that and neither can the Oireachtas. We make representations in respect of different schools. There is a general allocation system and so forth. However, the numbers have never been higher. It is a system I introduced, as Minister for Education, back in 1998. There was no system prior to that. It has facilitated the integrated nature and mainstreaming of special needs education in the country. We will continue to invest in it.

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