Joe McHugh (Fine Gael)

I welcome the Minister of State at the Department of Education and Science with special responsibility for children, Deputy Brian Lenihan, to the House. I submitted this matter in the aftermath of a meeting with parents in Letterkenny, which is home to the Letterkenny branch of dyslexia workshops. Over 55 parents comprise the branch. They set up this workshop in light of deficits in the special needs area. They found that their children are not being catered for in primary and secondary schools in terms of facilities to meet their specific dyslexic needs, even though it is clearly stated in the guidelines of the Department of Education and Science that children with dyslexia have a specific learning disorder that should be met in terms of learning or resource support in some form. However, this is not the case.

The main issue I wish to highlight is that many parents, since the need has not been identified at primary school level, must get private assessments. As the Minister of State is aware — I do not have a clue about the level of fees in the greater Dublin area — some parents in County Donegal pay upwards of €420 for private assessments, without which they will not get into the workshop in Letterkenny. The system is inequitable and there are discrepancies.

In terms of special needs, there is an outcry from parents throughout the country, not just in County Donegal — I only cite Letterkenny as one example — for the Department of Education and Science to acknowledge the fact that dyslexia is a special need and requires resource support and not to pass the buck to the schools. The Department decides issues of funding and provision of resource support. Principals and boards of management must take the heat from parents of children who have dyslexia.

The reply by the Minister of State will be of interest and I hope that, down the line, the clustering system in general for special needs and resource learning will be addressed in rural and peripheral areas. Many schools in rural areas, such as Inishowen and Fanad, do not meet the specific requirements and needs of children with general special needs. It is a resource issue. The Department of Education and Science has the capacity and potential to address these problems.