Cecilia Keaveney (Fianna Fail)

I acknowledge the presence of one of my favourite Ministers, Deputy Haughey. He is becoming well versed on this important issue. I refer to the need for the Minister for Health and Children to decide a way forward for the introduction of arts therapies into special schools, given the proven benefits in Scoil Íosagáin, Buncrana, of the one year of music therapy for special needs students, now threatened with withdrawal.

The Minister of State, Deputy Haughey, has heard me refer to this issue more often than most Ministers, yet it does not make it any less valid to raise tonight the need for music therapy in the school in question. Scoil Íosagáin in Buncrana is a school of 651 students with one principal, 25 mainstream class teachers, three learning support teachers, two resource teachers, eight teachers in eight special classes and three temporary language support teachers. The school has four special classes for children with autism; two moderate classes, one severe and profound class and one class for special learning difficulties. The school evidently knows something about special needs.

I managed to secure approximately €60,000 last year, a small percentage of which was for administration, but most of which was to fund the appointment of a music therapist in the school. The results were monitored and the school recorded a significant success. Some of those involved gave evidence recently to the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Education and Science. They indicated that 60 out of the 690 children got access to the music therapist. One of the parents outlined the case of her ten year old daughter who has autism, who had not been able to blow or suck but who had made progress following music therapy. She got to the stage where she could blow out the candles on her birthday cake and suck juice with a straw from a glass, which she had not been able to do previously.

Music therapy is sometimes misunderstood as someone playing a guitar while everybody sings and enjoys themselves. That is not the case; it is a clinical intervention to assist people especially with vocal skills but other skills also. The principal, Sinead McLaughlin, asked for an extension of the funding which had come from a children-at-risk fund but it was not possible to do that. The children are at risk in one respect but that is not the case from another perspective. The principal was told that funding for a music therapist had to come from the Health Service Executive but the HSE did not accept that point because the therapy involved a school. In order to implement the spirit of the EPSEN Act, we need a mechanism whereby the Departments of Education and Science and Health and Children can come together to decide what is working.

The Minister of State used the term "value for money" in his previous reply. For a maximum of €50,000 we could continue to have 60 special needs students advance and be supported in their development. Music therapy has proven to be effective both here and in many other countries. I accept that professional recognition is required and we are dealing with that. The question arises of how one controls the demand for music therapy. First, by definition, there are only a certain number of special schools in the country and, second, there is a finite number of qualified music therapists. I would not allow someone to play a guitar to a class of students with special needs and call it music therapy. Either we provide the real thing or nothing at all.

The reason I have tabled the motion again is that I believe in what I say and it is backed up by clinical proof. I cannot arrange a meeting between someone in the Department of Education and Science who is responsible for special education and someone in the HSE. I urge the Minister of State to undertake to arrange a meeting between the relevant person in the Department with responsibility for special education, the relevant person in the HSE, the principal of the school and me. I do not wish to solve the problem for just one person because I know that sets precedents, and I want to solve the problem for everybody. The situation in question could be resolved for the want of a small amount of money. I am sure we invest far more in areas where we might not be able to see the outcome.

In this case, however, a clinical trial has been carried out and evidence exists to stand over it. Anybody who heard what was said before the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Education and Science would recognise that this case has merit. There is a very serious issue in that those responsible for special education can claim this is a health issue and those responsible for health can claim it is an education issue. We had a long meeting on Monday with the National Council for Special Education to discuss SNA provision. The same issue came up. SNAs are not there to solve all the problems. There are issues within the health area and health professionals need to be brought in. Even the National Council for Special Education accepts that the two sides are not talking to each other in a meaningful way, which is the crux of the problem. If people saw what was happening action would be taken to address the issue.