Joe O'Toole (Independent)

I look forward to the Leader's response.

I am totally opposed to the points made by the new Minister for Education and Science, Deputy Hanafin, though I wish her well in her difficult portfolio. I remind the House that parents have won all the cases bar one taken to establish rights to special needs assistance for their children. The one case lost led the Minister to go on air to state, "Don't any of you dare take a case again or we will make sure we catch you for costs." This is frightening people who are already under pressure.

If the Minister was to come to the House to tell us that any child professionally assessed to be in need of special support was receiving it, she would be right. In the event of a professional assessment determining that a child requires special needs assistance, I continue to advise parents that the only way they will get it, if not from the Department, is by going to the courts. That is the sad reality. I put two cases on the record on Second Stage of the Disability Bill and I intend to add to that on Committee Stage.