Ulick Burke (Fine Gael)

Will the Leader ask the Minister for Education and Science to investigate as a matter if urgency what is happening to the special needs unit of the Department of Education and Science in Athlone? The attempts of parents and principal teachers to get a response to requests they have made, in writing or on the telephone, have come to naught. It seems that the officials in the unit have gone to ground. I draw a parallel between current events and those last year, when it was impossible to contact the building unit before budget changes were made by the then Minister, Deputy Noel Dempsey.

I have been reliably informed that when a review which is under way has been completed, there will be cutbacks in the funds allocated to the educationally disadvantaged, particularly Travellers. No resource teacher for Travellers has been appointed where a vacancy has arisen in the past four months. Where are we going if that is an indication of the Minister's commitment to disadvantage in education? Our experience has taught us that when we hear of a review, we know that cutbacks are coming. The commitments of the previous Minister, Deputy Noel Dempsey, in respect of disadvantage in education rang hollow because he did nothing. I know now that he did nothing because the policy-makers working in the relevant unit have failed.