John Paul Phelan (Fine Gael)

I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Devins, to the House and thank him for being here and staying for the duration of the debate. I find it difficult to be overly critical because Senator Corrigan and Deputy Devins are two people whom I would hold in high regard, but the amendment proposed by the Government takes some seeing to believe. In my time in the Seanad, usually Private Members' time consists of either the Government proposing some inane motion on an obscure policy on which the Opposition must raise an amendment, or the Opposition pinpointing an area of difficulty and the Government coming up with a back-slapping amendment. I have seen back-slapping in this Chamber in my time but the nature of what is proposed in the amendment takes some beating in that regard.

I am particularly disappointed with elements of the Minister of State's speech. One will have heard the saying that "there are lies, damned lies and statistics". The Minister of State's contribution was littered with statistics. Figures quoted include a 164% increase in the number of physiotherapists, a 130% increase in the number of occupational therapists and a number of other statistics in that regard. However, we heard no mention of the 3,000 out of 130,000 people who work in the HSE who do not know what their job is, what percentage of the overall workforce of the HSE this figure constitutes and what impact those resources would have on the area of special needs, disability and special education if they were provided in other areas.

I was also interested in what the Minister of State had to say about the bar on the recruitment of staff in the HSE. We are told that this bar existed until the end of last year and was lifted on 1 January. It is interesting because we are debating this motion at the same time that the top brass in the HSE is meeting in respect of further cutbacks in the health service and funding in different areas. I hope that people who need assistance, be they disabled or have special educational needs, will not be the soft target they have been in the past.

I am also interested in the reference in the Minister of State's speech to the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs Act where he said that the assessment process, as provided for under the Act, is due to commence in 2010. If they are to have an effect on the lives of people in this area, surely most of the other aspects of the Act are contingent on the commencement of the assessment process. We were told in 2003 or 2004 when this legislation went through the House that the assessment process would be introduced before 2010. The year now quoted is 2010. What will that mean in terms of delivery of the assessment process?

I referred to the Minister of State's mention of the number of different specialists that are provided within the HSE. Even in the amendment, the Government gives us the statistics with regard to frontline services. There are under 30,000 people who could be described as physiotherapists, occupational therapists, social workers, nurses or doctors. Over 100,000 people are employed by the HSE, including 3,000 who do not know what they are supposed to be doing in the first place but who are not providing those essential frontline services. In terms of the actual provision of the service, the statistics are not as good as the Government would have us believe.

I remember the general election in 1987 when I was only nine years of age. It was the first time I really took an interest in politics. I remember shopping in Waterford to the tune of "Rise and follow Charlie". I very much remember the election slogan, "Health cuts hurt the old, the sick and the handicapped". This was probably the most cynical ploy that any political party has used in any election because as soon as the Government changed, funding for the health services was drastically cut. The reality is that in the disability sector and the mental health sector, for which the Minister of State is responsible, we are still suffering from those cutbacks in 1987.

I was disappointed by the fact that the Minister of State's contribution did not mention mental health services. There was no mention of A Vision for Change. This is an area for which he is directly responsible. None of the Government speakers seem to have mentioned it. There can be a wait of up to three years for children and adolescents seeking psychiatric treatment. This is a disgrace in post Celtic Tiger Ireland. The usual waffle about funding is uttered. I agree with Senator Buttimer who mentioned the disgraceful situation whereby 70 cases are before the courts at present where families are trying to get suitable educational services for their children who have special educational needs. I am informed that 47 of these cases relate to autism. That is a disgrace in 2008 and is something over which the Government should hang its head in shame.

I must confess a personal interest because I was a teacher for a very brief period. I have some understanding of the education system. The appalling lack in our psychological assessment system is the fact that people cannot get access to that system. The wait for psychological assessments is disgraceful. We were told at the end of last year that there would be a projected 6% cut in the budget for NEPS. Where does this leave the Government's pre-election promises?

I am told that one of the largest funders of psychological assessments in this country is the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, which must pay for them from its own resources. Last year, assessments for over 1,000 children were paid for by the society. This enabled them to go private because our public system does not work. In 1999, the former Minister for Education and Science, Deputy Martin, said that there would be 200 psychologists in NEPS within five years. At the moment, there are 138. The number has increased by ten since the last general election. It is nearly ten years since the then Minister gave that commitment and only 60% of students in primary education are covered by it.

I wish to say something about speech and language services and the fact that they depend on where one lives. One may get one's assessment after a month or two or one might have to wait for over a year or two years to get such an assessment. I acknowledge the fact that funding in this area has significantly increased over that past few years but there is no commensurate improvement in the service provided to people on the ground. That is what the motion is about and is the reason I fully support it.