Ulick Burke (Fine Gael)

The Minister provided this figures to Members in the Lower House. She should provide the definitive, true and accurate figures so that people will not be misled further on class sizes.

Everybody welcomes the improvement in special needs provision, particularly the appointment of additional resource teachers and personal assistants. Most schools are in receipt of such support, although a number of them have experienced a reduction. While the Minister does not have sole responsibility for special needs provision, it is important that she should maintain this support at second level. The withdrawal of special needs services from pupils when they transfer from primary to second level presents an increasing problem. This issue needs urgent attention so that the valuable work done by primary teachers is not undone.

I support previous speakers who referred to the workload of principals and their remuneration. Their increasing administrative workload must be recognised. There are far more demands on their time now than was the case in the past. We must recognise and respond to this in a positive way by providing them with adequate support. In some cases, their workload is proportionate to the numbers in their school and the difficulties with which they contend.

I draw the Minister's attention to a sad situation, a matter I raised on the Adjournment some time ago. In my local national school, some 30% of the student intake require special needs support of some type. The last time I visited this two-teacher, two-room school, a severely disabled child in great need was being taught in the midst of eight students in need of other support. The provision of such specialist support is an impossible task when teachers must also deliver the regular school programme.

I am sorry to raise a parochial matter but I stress the urgency of this school's requirement for an emergency prefabricated building. Coincidentally, the Minister of State at the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Deputy Killeen, who replied to this matter in the Minister's absence, was principal in that school some 30 years ago. He admitted nothing had changed in the school in that time. There must be a review of cases such as this is where there is an absolute immediacy in terms of a school's requirements. The Minister of State, Deputy Killeen, said he would bring this case to the attention of the Minister.