Ruth Coppinger (Dublin West, Solidarity)

I too pay tribute to Cara and her father and all the campaigners and the people who have already slept outside the Dáil this year, Families Unite for Services and Support, FUSS, Equality in Education, ASD15 and the myriad local groups that have been banging on about this issue for a long time. One thing I have learned about neurodivergent, autistic and disabled people is that they hate social pretence and falsity. There is a lot of pretence going here on all night. First, Government TDs pretending they are not in the Government. Second, that they are not part of the problem and it is the fault of the HSE, not Government policy, which obviously determines everything. The other pretence is that a sanctioned school class for autism is an actual class. That is the pretence we have been hearing about all year. There is another pretence as well - this Government denies there is a chronic crisis and shortage in teacher recruitment and retention and the same for professional therapists. If the Government keeps denying that, this problem will persist. I have spoken to many principals and saw it myself when I went back into teaching. Australia is recruiting teachers hand over fist from Ireland because it provides 20 grand extra in pay. The UK is attracting people to do teacher training there while this Government has done not one thing. It has not brought in a special education allowance, which principals in special schools have been asking for. It has not brought in a city allowance, which is vital if you want to get people to teach and be able to afford to pay rent in Dublin. This problem will persist until the Government does something about it. There is a massive shortage of therapists. Only 7% of assessments of need are done on time. The Government is breaking the law for the other 93%. In Dublin 15, the Blakestown CDNT has a seven and a half year waiting list, while the list in the other CDNT is a bit shorter. This is ruining the development and the lives of many children. I am sick, sore and tired of hearing a Minister say it is not acceptable. You are the Minister. You should resign if it is not acceptable. The other Minister, who is not here now, said the whole system was not fit for purpose. What a disgrace that they are willing to stay in their positions. They have been in government for years.

The other issue is that we carry on regardless and take no action on the huge problem of the shortages in CDNTs. Approximately 530 posts are unfilled because people are leaving the public sector due to the stress and strain. Then, because it is told to do so by the Government, the HSE has to pay those same therapists, when they go to the private sector, to carry out assessments of need that should be done in the public sector, each costing €3,300. Those people could work in the public sector like they always used to if it was an attractive place to work, they could live on the pay, and there was promotion and recognition and enough staff to do their work. Until that happens, this crisis will continue. The Government is willing to spend €100 million on military jets but is not willing to put in the money needed for this issue. It is not complex; it is very simple. Please do not try to pretend it is really complicated. It is about investing money to recruit teachers, therapists, SNAs, physiotherapists, occupational therapists and psychologists and to provide proper buildings to put classes into. For assessments of need, the Government could recruit in the short term for a big project to clear those lists and people would turn up and do the work.

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