Jen Cummins (Dublin South Central, Social Democrats)

I thank the Labour Party for its motion on special education. I have heard so much pain, frustration and determination from families throughout my constituency and many constituencies in this country. I have travelled to different places to hear from families. In my constituency of Dublin South-Central, from Ballyfermot to Drimnagh, Inchicore and Crumlin, there are parents who at crisis point with their children. They are worn out trying to get a place for their child in a special education class or school. Not only do they have to fight for everything for their children, but they also have to fight for the basic right to an education as well. It is heart-breaking and is not good enough.

I ask the Government to look at the human side of this. I know the Minister and Minister of State do that as individuals, but I urge them to please try to stop the Department with its "computer says no" version of what is going on. Children are being sent to schools miles away that are not in their community and which they have to travel to. Some of these children being sent far away are only little. Parents fought hard for the Libermann Spiritan School in Templeogue. It is fantastic that it opened but it does not have enough resources. It does not have everything that needs to happen in a special school. It is brilliant and fantastic that we are going to open special schools and special classrooms, but resources that need to come with that for everything that needs to be decked out in those schools and not as an afterthought. It needs to be planned out in advance. We also need to make sure that every single member of staff working in those schools is fully trained before they go in.

Another matter I am concerned about and about which I asked the Minister previously relates to when she will have more places at third level for students going into occupational therapy, speech and language therapy and all those courses. It is very important that happens this year. Students are sitting the leaving certificate who would love to do those courses. There are students who are siblings or family members of those with special needs who would love to go into those careers. I would love to have an answer to this as it has not made clear: are those places in place for this September-October when college starts? If not, is there anything that could be done to hurry that up?

See this speech in context