Cyprian Brady (Fianna Fail)

An additional 800 teachers will be allocated next year, which will bring to 1,900 the number of new teachers who will have been allocated in the past two years. Those additional teachers will reduce class sizes. We have to start somewhere. Successive Governments have ignored this area.

The Minister pointed out when she took office that to reverse the trend of the policies in place and to target the areas where there had been a lack investment, she had to start somewhere. One cannot argue with the progress made in recent years. We are not only investing in education from an economic perspective but from a social perspective. The Senator opposite was correct in pointing out that a society is judged by how well it treats its most vulnerable people. Major resources have been invested in the areas of disadvantage and disability which has resulted in massive changes.

I see those changes every day in the north inner city area of my constituency. Children are more confident. They know they will have opportunities in education in the future. There is hope for them that did not exist for many young people ten years ago. Children in that area did not have the hope of aspiring even to complete their leaving certificate. A major issue in the north inner city is to encourage young people to go on to third level. Access programmes are in place. Many of the universities and colleges are recruiting in that area. The International Financial Services Centre is eager to recruit young people to work in banks and other financial institutions. This is where the changes are evident.

Great strides have been made in addressing needs in the area of special education. There is a 30% increase in provision in the Estimates for this area. It will provide for the allocation of additional special needs assistants, streamline the assessment process by facilitating the carrying out of assessments in a shorter period and provide more accessibility for parents. A greater exchange of information is possible between teachers and parents which was not the position previously because teachers were too busy. They did not have support services and they had to deal with children with a range of different abilities in one class and they could not cope, but now they have the necessary support and assistance. Special needs organisers throughout the country consult parents and teachers, listen to their needs and report that information to the Department which then provides for those needs. That provision would not be possible without the prudent management of the economy. We were not in a position to pay for such provision ten years ago.