Gary Gannon (Dublin Central, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

I thank Labour for bringing forward this important motion. I bid a huge welcome to the parents and guardians who are in the Gallery, many of whom I recognise from my community. There also people who have had to travel to the Dáil previously and who have slept outside the offices of the Department merely to vindicate their child's rights. Each time I see those very same faces, hear their stories and feel their pain, the question I am repeatedly obliged to ask is "Why does it have to be so difficult?" Why does a parent have to sleep outside the Department of Education to get their child a school place? Why would a school that is told it needs an SNA be blocked from hiring one? Why are teachers and SNAs expected to do more with less in antiquated classrooms that were never designed to cater for those with complex needs? Why, 20 years after the EPSEN Act was passed, are we still waiting for key parts to be commenced? There is no mystery here. We know how many children are born each year. We know how many have additional needs. We know the supports they require, and still matters are left until the very last minute. Every year, a scramble for school places throws schools and parents into crisis. It is a repetition of trauma, a pursuit merely for the basic need of obtaining a school place.

This is not about a lack of information. Clearly, that is not the case. It is about a lack of planning, foresight, urgency and political will. I do not want to individualise it and focus on a particular person - I do not for one second believe that is the case - but I want to understand the culture in which these decisions have been made and allowed to fester for decades, to the point where children do not have school places.

Four hundred new special classes were announced for next year but already we know they will not be enough if the Department does not come with the therapists, the sensory supports and a trained and supported workforce. If these classes are located miles from people's homes, this will force children into making long, exhausting commutes. We would not accept this in mainstream education; we should not accept it in this instance either.

It should not take a media campaign. It should not take parents having to sleep on the pavement outside Dáil Éireann. It should not take parents having to consistently call public meetings, advocate and learn to become legal professionals in their own right just so that they can vindicate a child's right. It should not have to be that hard. Ultimately, what we are talking about is simply access to school places.

This should be a great crusade. I cannot understand the scenario where budget time will come around in a couple of months and people will be talking about tax cuts at a time when we do not have school places or therapists. This needs to be the great goal, and we are all want the Minister working rapidly in respect of it.

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