John Minihan (Progressive Democrats)

Since 1997, the pupil-teacher ratio has been slashed from 22:1 to 17:1. To achieve this figure, the Government has placed 5,000 extra primary teachers in our schools. Many of these extra teachers have been targeted at pupils with special needs and those from disadvantaged areas to ensure they are getting the extra help they need to reach their potential. The average class size has been brought down from 27 to 24. This means there is now one classroom teacher for every 24 pupils.

The Government has made a conscious decision to target resources at pupils with special needs and those from disadvantaged areas. This is as it should be and no sane person would condemn such a decision. Some 243 disadvantaged schools have benefited from this policy, with reduced class sizes of 15 to 20 pupils per class. Now that class sizes have been reduced in disadvantaged schools, mainstream schools too will begin to see substantial improvements in the pupil-teacher ratio, with the emphasis on infants and young children. The Minister for Education and Science has major responsibilities, ranging from the care and nurturing of junior infants to promoting innovation and research at fourth level. In many respects, however, one of her most important roles is that of special needs education.

Time constraints do not allow us to do justice to this complex issue. On the occasion of the debate that took place in this House last April, I put on the record a number of figures that went some way to illustrate the Government's commitment in this area. In terms of special needs, there are now some 5,000 resource teachers, up from 104 in 1998.