Joe O'Toole (Independent)

Tomorrow's debate on education for persons with special educational needs should raise a number of interesting issues. In the lead-up to this, however, we should recognise the story in last night's news of an empty school facility for autistic children and an autistic child who cannot get in. The school in question has stated that the facility cannot open owing to a lack of therapists but the Minister argued that the school should enrol the child for educational purposes only. We must add to this to the fact the Ó Cuanacháin family is facing bankruptcy because of having to go through an appeal in the courts. I was happy to praise the Minister for Education and Science yesterday for what she has done. However, there is a simple answer to this. The reason the Ó Cuanacháins are facing bankruptcy and the reason there are empty classrooms in Castleknock is very simple. It is that the Minister has not yet commenced certain provisions of the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs Act 2004.

Every speaker tomorrow should ask the Minister to explain herself. They should simply ask one question. Why has she not commenced the relevant sections of the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs Act, which has been approved by both Houses and signed into law by the Government and which would solve all these problems? If this was done there no longer would be an argument. These sections would decide the matter of therapists and education and the question of the appeals structure. Parents would have the right to appeal at every level. The Act provides for appeals, assessment, resources and implementation. It is all in it. This Act was welcomed on all sides in both Houses. I ask that we do not let tomorrow's debate fall into simple political division. Senators on both sides should ask the Minister why she has not done what we asked her to do and commenced the Act. It has not been done. I ask that the debate be focused on that point. No one needs to justify anything beyond that. The debate should be allowed to continue for as long as necessary because there are many speakers in every group who wish to speak on this issue.

On a lighter note, people will be aware there has been a tourist debacle in Cork with the exposure of the story about the Blarney Stone. It would appear that people in Cork have been carrying out unscrupulous fraud.