Richard O'Donoghue (Limerick County, Independent Ireland Party) | Oireachtas source

This is about the SEN hours that are being provided. On the criteria, a letter from the Department came to the school. The Department says the school is losing 2.5 hours while the Minister of State is saying it is not. Surely to God there has been a mix-up in the paperwork somewhere. I will work with the Minister of State to rectify that. I will again go back to equal opportunity in education. Regulations from this House have stopped people from living in rural areas. If we are to rebuild communities, it is our schools that support local businesses, sports, families, recreation and mental health. They support everything. We have a letter from the Department that says one thing but the Minister of State is saying another. We can rectify this. I have no problem with that. What I am trying to say is that we need to make sure that rural schools are protected. If there must be a two-tier system to allow the same infrastructure to be put in so that we can support and grow our schools in the same way as urban schools, I will work with the Minister of State on that. However, in the interim, I need them to be protected and for there to be no reductions in hours.

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