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

Although my amendment No. 7 has not been grouped with this amendment, both amendments seek to address the same issue and have the same objective. It is challenging for Members of the Opposition to raise issues in relation to resources, given the Standing Orders.

It has been well articulated by schools, parents and campaign groups that a special class does not just comprise four walls. It is the resources that go with it. This goes beyond the Department of Education. It is vitally important that adequate resources are put in where this power is being used. Obviously, there are schools that are reluctant to open special classes, whether for a good reason or for a bad one. My experience is that any school that has opened a special class has never regretted it. It has enhanced their school and their school community enormously.

I have never come across a school that felt it was a mistake but clearly there are schools that are reluctant. Some of them have reasonable grounds and others may not but whatever the reason, it is vitally important that when the power is used, the resources that are in place are adequate. As I outline in amendment No. 7, that goes to adequate special needs assistant, SNA, support, mental health support for schools and child and adolescent mental health services, CAMHS, to be fully staffed to support them in the community and an adequate number of qualified special education teachers but, crucially, access to multidisciplinary teams including speech and language therapists, psychiatrists, occupational therapists and nursing staff. Therefore, that access to therapy is vitally important.

This goes to the HSE and the Department of Health as well. We want to ensure that any special classes or special schools that are opened under this or any other powers or, indeed, voluntarily are a success. We want to ensure that schools, teachers and school communities feel supported and that they have the resources they need. For that reason, I support amendment No. 1, which has the same effect as my amendment No. 7. I should say I have no issue with amendment No. 16 either but that is not what I intended to address.

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