Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I was delighted to see the Tánaiste’s backing for multidisciplinary teams supporting our schools. I agree it should be a programme for Government commitment. A pilot of 75 schools and 75 preschools was undertaken when I was Minister, which is quite some time ago, and that has never been extended. I admit Covid might have delayed it but it should have been. The capacity to engage with resource teachers and SNAs to extend therapeutic programmes is a missed opportunity. We have a legal right to an assessment but no legal right to therapy after the assessment is done. That results in perverse use of the resource we have available. The Fine Gael policy lab did some work with parents and there is a strong preference among parents for the kind of campus approach the Tánaiste was talking about yesterday. I strongly support the Tánaiste’s call that it must be in a programme for Government.

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