Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I too compliment the Social Democrats on tabling this motion, which is very timely. I do not agree with Deputy Barry on much, but I agree with everything he said. We can pay the bankers, or any of the senior civil servants in Departments who want to move extra money, but we cannot support our teachers. They play such an important role in giving tuition, learning, education and life skills to na daoine óga, our children. Is mór an trua é. The situation is not good enough and it is right across the spectrum.

I will mention the Department of Education. The Minister of State claims to have invested additional funding in special education resources but this is not reflected in the experiences of schools, according to the National Principals' Forum. In the area in which I live, we have had no special educational needs organiser, SENO, for a prolonged period of nearly six months. The SENO who is covering fails to respond to queries and parents are fobbed off. All the autism spectrum disorder, ASD, units are full, with no places available at all in south Tipperary. I support all the boards of management, principals, and assistant principals in the job they do, with such scarce and minuscule resources and such a lack of respect from the Department of Education. It is quite shocking and just not good enough. This is another failure by the Government of our children with additional needs.

We urgently need to take action to address the failures. According to the National Association of Principals and Deputy Principals, we see teachers voting with their feet and going abroad. What did the Government do this week? It decided, above all times and when there is such a crisis, to cancel or try to wipe out extended leave and career breaks for teachers. It just beggars belief that the Government would do this. What has it got against teachers? As I said, our youth are most important.

Of course, the Rural Independent Group values our refugees. I do not need a lecture from an Teachta Bríd Smith about that. We value every human being from the womb to the tomb, as far as I am concerned. We do not have any issue with that.

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