Alan Farrell (Dublin Fingal, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for her comments, which I welcome. I know she has brought a determination to the role and it is extremely important that the Minister of State with responsibility for special education has that determination because it is an extremely important role.

I appreciate her efforts.

As the Minister of State knows, I have a very particular personal and professional interest in the support of children with additional needs. It is important as a State that we recognise that thus far, we have not done enough, although we have made great progress and strides in recent years. As Deputy Ó Laoghaire said earlier, there was some good stuff in the Minister of State's contribution and there is some good stuff being done in the Department. With a bit of help and some additional resources, I am absolutely positive that we will be able to make further enhancements to the services being provided for children with additional needs right across the country.

However, there are issues with the flow of information to schools and the decision-making process that schools engage in vis-à-vis enrolment, year on year. In the context of planning, the lack of essential information makes it very difficult for schools to cater for their community's needs, quite apart from the schools that actually refuse to provide the necessary classes or spaces in their schools. While it is the stick element, I do welcome what the Minister said about giving the NCSE the power to compel a school to provide a place to a child with special educational needs. Getting this implemented is essential. I also welcome the further legislative exploration that the Department is conducting with the NCSE and the Attorney General and I hope there is an opportunity for us, particularly through the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Education, Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, to look closely at that. This is something that NGOs, the committee, the Department and others have explored in recent months and years.

Notwithstanding some of the great strides that are being made and some of the difficulties still being felt, with the record levels of SNAs to cater for the rising level of demand and the addition of quite a number of special education teachers, the Government has shown its commitment in this area. I reiterate what the Minister of State said about the emphasis that Fine Gael in government has placed on this area in recent years, not just in this term but also in prior years. Of course, that was done with the support of most parties in the House, given our minority position in the previous Dáil. Fine Gael was not acting alone. We certainly had the support of other parties but we showed initiative and we are now starting to see the benefit of that forward planning.

It is imperative that we have a system that is inclusive of all children at all levels of ability and one that enables them to maximise their potential and, more importantly, their happiness. The worry that parents have regarding their child being educated in an appropriate setting has a profound effect on family life. All Members of this House, given the number of families that contact our offices every year, know that the effect of the concerns parents have about accessing services within the State, not just from the Department of Education but also from the Department of Health, to support their children with additional needs is profound. It also has an effect on us as Deputies and our staff and we work hard to ensure that we can cater for those demands. That is why it is so important that we continue to invest adequately in the system.

There is a need for us to maximise the number of children who are receiving support in mainstream classrooms, notwithstanding the additional requirements for some children with additional needs to be in special units. That is obviously dependent upon their diagnosis and the level of support that is required. I am encouraged that the Minister is open to introducing emergency legislation on the provision of spaces. Like her, I am very concerned about the 120 places here in Dublin. I am acutely aware that there are schools in Dublin 15 and in my constituency that have refused to provide places. The patrons, principals and the Department need to get together on that to come up with a more workable solution because educating those children is the imperative. I appreciate that this is seen as controversial but something has to be done. Education must be provided and I would much rather move legislation to require and compel those schools to provide places than do what has been suggested.

This is an area that every Member of this House must spend more time on. The number of Deputies who have spoken this afternoon on what is an extremely important issue is notable. The willingness is there within the Department and the ambition is also there. With a little tweaking in terms of legislative action, we can get the offering to where it needs to be. There is also an onus on Members to work with schools, particularly their principals, to try to convince them that these services need to be provided in each and every community. The needs are most acute in Dublin but they exist right across the country. I commend the Minister of State on her work and look forward to working with her on the Oireachtas committee in the coming months and years.

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