Johnny Guirke (Meath West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The Joint Committee on Disability Matters has called for the commencement of the sections of the 2004 Act that confer statutory rights on the child, including commencement of the statutory entitlement to educational assessment, consequent development of a statutory individual educational plan and a detailed educational service to be implemented on foot of this plan. It is disappointing that the Minister of State is kicking the Bill down the road. As Deputy Ó Ríordáin said another way, it is my opinion that the Minister of State wants to put it to bed or get rid of it, which is not right for children with special needs. It is like the Bill on the right to be forgotten and many others. Children with additional needs have been waiting for 20 years and the Minister of State thinks it is appropriate to kick it further down the road.

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