Shane Ross (Independent)

I raise the need for the Minister for Education and Science to reverse his decision to cut special teacher support for children with mild learning disabilities in St. Teresa's school, Balbriggan. I cannot understand why children with special needs should be victims of cuts, especially those in education. We agree that everybody should take his or her fair share of the pain but I do not believe it is fair that any children with disabilities, who need special teachers, should take this cut announced by the Minister on Tuesday of the week before last.

In excess of 530 children and 119 schools are affected by the cuts. No great thought can have been put into this matter. These cuts will save the Exchequer only €7 million and will victimise the most vulnerable in our society.

I am particularly interested in St. Teresa's School in Balbriggan because a constituent who has a mildly disabled child asked me to raise this issue. The child needs special education teachers. St. Teresa's has a facility for two special needs classes but after the cut announced by the Minister it will have only one. The result, as the Minister will probably know, is that some of those pupils will have to go elsewhere, either to a special needs school or to a special needs class in another school, or will have to go into mainstream classes. The Minister said there are not enough children to avail of special needs schools. That is not an adequate explanation. There are never enough classes for the children in question. He should not count the children but should count the classes first and put the children into them. It is absurd to count the children and then say some must suffer while others do not. It is very unfair especially as the number of children allowed into such a class is nine. That seems a rather rigid and inflexible allowance which should be varied, and every child with special needs should be accorded the suitable education he or she deserves.

Putting children into mainstream classes, which was proposed as a possibility for St. Teresa's, is acknowledged not to be the optimum solution. It is extremely disturbing for the children involved. Even if they are only mildly affected it dislocates them when they have begun a form of education that suits them. They would have to adjust to an education that is not suitable for them.

While the Minister has made some concessions in recent days, it is very important the Minister of State, who is in the Chamber, should spell out the effect of such concessions and what they will mean to St. Teresa's school in Balbriggan. I would like to disassociate myself from these cuts and ask the Minister not just to look after the children in Balbriggan but to completely reverse these cuts, which are saving only €7 million. The Minister should consider the children who need this. They are children with autism, Down's syndrome or other mild or more severe special needs. I ask him to reverse these cutbacks, particularly in this case, and to spell out what the future holds for those children who really need special teacher support.