Ruairí Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Unfortunately, we are back here discussing the subject of school-based provision. I will be very clear. Our Turlough has used both school-based provision and summer provision - previously called July provision - which we found excellent. He has also been lucky enough at times for us to have been able to get to tutors. This has been especially useful for him in dealing with particular issues and subjects where he definitely needed some extra work done. In saying that, as I have many times before, I commend the great work that was done by St. Joseph's National School when he was in primary school and that is being done by Ó Fiaich College now at second level. I am well aware that they go above and beyond in relation to supporting him.

We have a weakness in this system if we cannot provide this support to all those we aim to provide it to, especially to those parents and kids, those citizens, who have an absolute right to July provision. We must ensure they are provided with all the benefits from a social and educational perspective and that we do what can be done. I know some work has been done in relation to expanding the programme and that SNAs have been able to be involved in providing the programme. We must expand this more. We must ensure we have made contact with all the retired teachers and others who are willing to play a part. Some of this work has been done, but there is a definite way that it can be done to a greater degree.

There has been abject failure across the board in the context of the many times we have all come in here and told the Minister of State about the problems that have been brought to our attention. I am going to do the same now. A family contacted me because they believe they have no space in a primary school where they thought they had one previously. They are from Dundalk, and are now even looking at schools outside the town. The fact is, though, that there is no room at the inn now for them. Contact has been made with the NCSE, with schools, etc. We are trying to use the baling twine to fix the engine once again, but we really need to find a better way to do this.

I raised the issue concerning the De La Salle College in Dundalk with the Minister of State and the Minister previously. I welcome that a solution was found. This is down to the principal, the school and the NCSE, but parents did have to go through a considerable amount of anguish and worry beforehand. There is no shortage of issues we could bring up if we were going to start talking about autism services, etc. We had the Families for Reform of CAMHS in with us again. This also shows a failure in regard to the issues that need to be dealt with and that are not being dealt with as regards CAMHS-ID teams, the autism protocol-----

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