Liam Fitzgerald (Fianna Fail)

I join with other Senators in requesting the Leader to ask the Minister for Education and Science to come to the House and review the implementation of the special education programme in our schools. I acknowledge a national framework was established by the Government such as was never in existence previously. As somebody who had many dealings with special needs children during the 1970s and found the resources and facilities completely inadequate I salute the achievements made.

Notwithstanding this and the major resources targeted at special needs in terms of teachers and other supports, inevitably the implementation of any programme will have lacunae. Senators referred to certain identifiable needs which exist. I ask for a debate and timely review on the progress of the implementation of the programme under the framework.

Regarding home school liaison, it is well-known an ongoing review of the general area of school attendance is taking place in the Department, and rightly so. This includes encouraging children and students to complete their education as a prerequisite for having an opportunity for a quality of life. This not only involves home school liaison, but also the school completion programme and a number of other elements. As part of this debate, or in a separate debate, we could examine the progress of the review taking place in the Department and perhaps confront the issue about which Senator Ulick Burke is concerned, namely, that the home school liaison programme is in the process of being disbanded. I do not accept that and know it is not the case. What is happening is the fruit of success, and success brings its own problems.