Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I am sharing time with Deputy Devlin.

I have some examples similar to that raised by Deputy Verona Murphy relating to the intransigence of a system that is no longer fit to serve those it seeks to serve. I have spoken so often in this House about the silo mentality in this country when it comes to delivering public services, and nowhere does that do more damage than in the area of special and additional needs and special education. That is not to take away from the Minister of State's work or commitment or from that of the Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte. Both of them are doing a super job, as are SNAs, teachers, principals and many of the existing National Educational Psychological Service, NEPS, teams, but there is a lack of co-ordination, communication and a system whereby the Department of Education works with the HSE and NEPS has a direct line into the HSE. It causes so many unfair delays and so much more stress in what is an already stressful situation.

It was interesting yesterday, when we met representatives of the Irish National Teachers Organisation, INTO, in the context of its pre-budget submission, that its key asks this year include a request for major investment in mental health support for pupils. That is from the coalface of education. One teacher told me at the briefing that, in some cases, pupils are picked up in junior infants and they could be in second class, four years later, before appropriate treatments are put in place. The mantra of so many services relates to early intervention, which could make a journey that may be difficult a lot less difficult, but four years could never qualify as early intervention. We need far greater investment in NEPS and its teams throughout the country in order that there will be more of them and they will be better resourced to respond to needs as they arise, but that is only the start. That is only the Department of Education's side of it. It is when we get to the availability of therapists in all grades and of treatments through the HSE that the major problems begin.

I spoke earlier during parliamentary questions to the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform about the need in the public service pay talks to identify where there are gaps in services because jobs cannot be filled. Additional needs and disabilities form one such area where we cannot fill vacancies for therapists, medical staff and educational staff, but we should be able to do that. Often, pay is not the only issue. Rather, it can be about how the organisation is run, the management procedures and how children are treated, rooted in a system that may be decades old, where processes and procedures seem to take precedence over persons. Procedures and form-filling can seem to be more important than the child and going through the process and the system seems to get more resources than the therapies and treatment of the child who needs them.

All the while, for every child there are parents who are trying their level best, under very stressful and difficult circumstances, to get the best for their child. At a time when I am feeling more and more inadequate as a public representative representing the views of my constituents dealing with many State services, dealing with disability services and trying to represent and speak for parents whose children have a disability or an additional need is what makes me most frustrated at the moment. That is in education, health and so many spaces. Computer says "No" means a person says "No"; it is not just a computer. Members of senior management in so many areas are not exposed to the reality of their decisions on the ground or to the way they take or communicate those decisions, but those communications and methods are making a bad situation worse.

We cannot continue to clap ourselves on the back for spending money or for having 12,000 SNAs where we once might have had 1,000 when the services those children are getting are disimproving, and we cannot continue to keep talking about it during statements in this House. We have to do something different and make a difference. At some stage, somebody is going to break down the silos and decide people are more important than processes and that children are more important than forms. There is a chance now for the Minister of State, and I am pretty sure the Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte, is determined to try to do it, but we need urgency. There is no sense in us coming back to the House this time next year to have more statements on this, or in schools this time next year having plenty of enrolments but not places because nobody thought to plan four or five years ago for how many students would have additional needs.

All the time these macro, headline decisions are being taken, a child, a parent, an SNA and a school community are under the most inordinate stress. Will the Minister of State please lay out a plan that works, once and for all? Will she break down those silos and take on whoever needs to be taken on? Often, those who are blocking the system do not understand what they are doing or the impact it is having in homes. They do not see that if they just did their job properly, it could make an enormous difference to one child and one parent, and it could create a whole range of options in their lives after that.

Let us resolve that we will not make statements on this issue anymore. I have been here for a lot of statements on this during my 15 years in this House. Once and for all, let us blow up the system and give those parents and, most importantly, those children a chance.

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