Finian McGrath (Dublin North Central, Independent)
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93. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he will ensure that all pupils with Down's syndrome in mainstream schools receive adequate resource hours. [50605/13]

Finian McGrath (Dublin North Central, Independent)
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Will the Minister ensure that all pupils with Down's syndrome in mainstream schools receive adequate resource hours? I ask this question because there are many families of children of Down's syndrome in particular who are concerned about the lack of resources and adequate services for their children. It is important to highlight this issue. A number of parents are currently engaged with the courts on the issue of resource hours allocation for their children. There is a crisis in this area, which needs to be accepted and dealt with by the Minister.

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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As a former primary school teacher, the Deputy will be aware that pupils with Down's syndrome who have a mild general learning disability, in addition to mainstream class teaching support, receive support from learning support teachers allocated to schools by my Department through the general allocation model. Those pupils who are assessed as having a more significant, moderate or severe general learning disability receive an individual allocation of resource teaching hours. This individual allocation is made by the NCSE.

The recent NCSE report on supporting children with special educational needs recommended that under a proposed new allocation model all children, including those with Down's syndrome, should be allocated additional resources in line with their level of need rather than by disability category. The NCSE also recommended that in the short term, pupils with Down's syndrome who are in the mild general learning disability category should continue to be supported by schools' learning support allocation in the same way as other pupils with a mild GLD.

Finian McGrath (Dublin North Central, Independent)
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I thank the Minister for his reply. On the allocation of resource hours, many children with Down's syndrome, because they do not fall into a particular category, are not receiving the hours that would assist them in making greater achievements at primary school level.

I have a number of questions for the Minister. Does the Minister accept that all children with Down's syndrome and other disabilities have a right to an adequate resource allocation? Is he aware that within the primary teaching system there are 121,353 pupils in classes of more than 30 pupils, within which are a number of children with Down's syndrome and other disabilities who are being impacted by this issue?

On access to services, a lack of educational psychologists to carry out psychological assessments is causing a huge problem for many families, with many being forced into the charity sector to have them done. Will the Minister agree that this is unacceptable and that in a modern democratic inclusive republic all people should be treated fairly?

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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I agree with the Deputy. We must try to do that within the limited resources available. As I said, the NCSE report recommends that a new model be established. Until such time as its detailed recommendations on that model have been received, I am not in a position to increase the number of categories as suggested by the Deputy.

With regard to overcrowding in classrooms, I have asked the building unit of my Department to provide me with statistical information in that regard. The pupil-teacher ratio should not result in classes of more than 28 pupils.

If that number is exceeded in any instance, I will want to know why. It is one matter if two classes are accommodated in one room, but it should not otherwise be happening. The problem is that we do not have the information readily to hand in the building unit in Tullamore. It has been suggested, for example, that up to one third of all classrooms are overcrowded. I have asked for the complete information and will publish it as soon as I receive it.

Finian McGrath (Dublin North Central, Independent)
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It is important that we obtain that information. I was given a figure of 121,353 by a group of disability bodies, which was the information given to them. It is an issue the Minister must address seriously. In recent days two mothers of children with Down's syndrome have been granted leave to challenge the law on resource hours for children with that condition. We must not go back to the old days where parents of children with disabilities had to go to the courts to secure the resources their children needed. That type of court action costs the Minister a great deal of money, which he does not have. The uncertainty is causing great hardship and distress to parents, who just want the services to which their children are entitled. I acknowledge that much good is being achieved by the provision of resource hours. All parents of children with disabilities are seeking is a quality education service.

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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It is ten years since the provision of services for children with special educational needs was given formal recognition by the former Minister for Education, Mr. Noel Dempsey. At that time, just under 1.5% of the total departmental budget was allocated in this area; the allocation now is in the order of 15%. A great deal of research has been undertaken in the meantime and the thinking, as contained in the report from the NCSE, is more orientated towards resourcing the profiling of schools, which we can now do with a greater degree of accuracy than before, and resourcing those schools in a manner that enables them, by the deployment of those resources, to reach out to all children with different levels of learning abilities and disabilities.

That is the type of space we are trying to carve out, but it is not easy. As I said, the report that is due next spring will be discussed in this House and implemented. Parents should not have to go to court to obtain what we all want for our children, namely, the best possible education.