Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)

I look forward to attending the opening of Harold's Cross school and, I hope, of many others in the Deputy’s constituency as we work to provide education for our young people. It is really important that we have therapies in our schools. Children spend so much of their time in school, it is important that they have access to therapies while there. The Government's very clear commitment is that this will be rolled out. Progress has been made to date. The work that is being done at the moment now will initially focus on our special schools and make sure that those with the greatest level of need can access therapists. I am very clear that this has to be rolled out to our special classrooms as part of our overall mainstream education system. It is important that we can provide these services to those who need them when they need them. However, it is also important that teachers, their peers and younger children in classrooms and their parents will benefit from them as well. This plan is being development. It is very much my intention that it will start in special schools and that it will be rolled out to the special education classrooms in mainstream settings in which many students with additional educational needs are being educated as quickly as possible in order that they can benefit from the therapies in question.

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