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

Every child is entitled to a pupil-teacher ratio irrespective of whether he or she is a mainstream or special needs pupil, and resources should always be ring-fenced for special needs students. That is a principle to which I have always held strongly ever since I brought in special classes in 1998, SNAs and so on.

On the broader question, there is an issue with supply in certain areas, but the Minister for Education has taken a raft of initiatives, as the Deputy is probably aware, to try in the short term to provide additional resources to schools to enable them to access teachers on a temporary basis and also to increase longer term supply. I will ask the Minister to outline in detail to the Deputy the range of measures she has introduced.

See this speech in context