Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for his response. I am a big supporter of AIM. Its objectives are very worthwhile.

These parents, however, are facing a cliff edge, and they are not the only ones. There are quite a number of them in my area. They are facing a cliff edge in July. Their children, effectively, will be excluded from access to summer camps, to after-school activities, and to after-school support. The parents are facing a very tough decision. We are in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis. Having two incomes coming into the household is now necessary. Many families - as the Minister will know - are having to face a situation where the parents are paying out of their own pocket for additional supports for their kids through the private sector. If a family has to face the decision of one parent potentially having to give up work or trying to find money for a childminder, it goes against the AIM objectives. The Minister and his Department say that diversity and inclusion is a good thing but it is not a possible thing for children with additional needs if they are effectively locked out.

I ask the Minister a question directly in relation to this. The Minister will have received the letter. I am aware the Minister gets a huge volume of correspondence and I do not expect that he would have read all of it, but he will be aware of the situation. What do I say to these parents now with 1 July coming? That is when they have to make a very tough decision. All they want for their kids is the same as any of us want for the children in our lives: that they thrive and live their best life. To fulfil the mandate of the Minister's own Department, it means that different groups may need additional supports. These people need additional supports and their kids need additional supports.

See this speech in context