Tony Kett (Fianna Fail)

I wish to share my time with Senator Dooley.

I am proud to be part of a Government for the past seven years which has been responsible for an unprecedented level of resourcing in the area of educational disadvantage, particularly as it pertains to special needs. It is unfortunate that prior to that, this area was totally neglected by all Governments because they were pursuing other priorities. Unfortunately, this area was not given the due recognition and resources it required. It is no wonder that, as a consequence, the parents of children with special needs felt abandoned by the State and resorted to other means to get themselves out of the dilemmas in which they found themselves. The challenge this Government faced when it came into office in 1997 was of resources. In many areas, major dismantling and renewal of systems needed to take place. In other areas, there were no systems in place for people with special needs. The former Minister for Education and Science, Deputy Martin, did a marvellous job in resourcing special education.

I congratulate the Minister of State, Deputy Brian Lenihan, on bringing this Bill before us because, when implemented, it will provide a statutory framework for people with special needs to receive all their educational needs. These educational requirements will be guaranteed. The additional resources to go with the education of these children will also be guaranteed. It will be a right enforceable by law. That is a major step forward in this area.

The Bill sets out a range of services which must be provided starting with an assessment and moving on to an education plan for each child. If there is a debate about the education plan, there will be a system for mediation and appeal. That caters for every eventuality. The Bill recognises the role of the parent which is key. Every parent has a keen interest in the education of their child, not least the family of a child with special needs. Gone, or certainly disappearing fast, is the notion of a child going to a special school who is able to go to a mainstream one but cannot do so because of a lack of resources or systems. In the past, children in mainstream schools relied on their school pals to bring them to the toilet, one of the most private things one does. Unfortunately, however, there was no other system in place. We have come a long way in that regard and the Bill now places parents at the centre of the process.

The one note of caution I sound is that the parent of a special needs child is not always the most objective person to adjudicate on the child's needs. I have seen this at first hand in many instances. Such parents obviously have a blind and unconditional love for their children but in some instances, they will step over the line and perhaps overvalue their children's abilities in order to get them into a particular school. It comes down to the fact that they want their children to be in as normal a learning environment as possible, which is understandable. However, I have seen many rows between multidisciplinary teams and parents who differ on what particular children may be capable of doing. I have not read the entire Bill but I hope there is no facility in the overall assessment process whereby a parent might be able to veto an assessment made by all the disciplines involved.

We need to examine the training of teachers and other personnel working in the area of special needs. Ongoing resources are required and should be made available both for inservice and pre-service training. The cohort of trained teachers currently working in this area needs additional training because matters are moving on so swiftly with new approaches and individualised programmes coming on stream. The integration process is complex so people will need to be trained in that regard. Even teachers who have been working at the coalface for some years need to upskill.

I sincerely hope that in our desire to mainstream we will not undervalue the great work undertaken by special needs schools. I realise there is a great desire to mainstream, and rightly so, but the work of such schools has been invaluable over the years. They were achieving this work when mainstreaming was not a consideration, although it was always an issue. The expertise garnered by people working in special needs schools is second to none. Mainstreaming will get all the required resources but we must never lose sight of the abilities of trained personnel in special needs schools.

It is understandable that parents want their special needs children to go into a normal educational system. Special needs schools are not as attractive in that regard because there may be a certain connotation associated with such establishments. However, there are children who cannot be mainstreamed — it is as simple as that — and, therefore, special needs schools will always be required.

The legislation marks a tremendous step in the right direction and I am confident that nothing but good will happen as a result of special needs children being mainstreamed. I am equally confident, however, that others will continue to receive their education in special schools that are dotted throughout the country.