Phil Prendergast (Labour)

Will the Leader arrange for a debate on the interpretation of special needs in schools? I was concerned to read of cutbacks across the whole spectrum of schools with special needs assistants for children. For a child in the autistic spectrum familiarity and relationship building is a strong feature in terms of their achieving some degree of normality within our education system. It is a matter of grave concern to me and many others across the country that children with special needs have been disadvantaged in this way. There has been much focus lately on abuse of children. To me it is an abuse if we do not cherish all of our children equally. Children with special needs should never be singled out as the first in line in terms of cutbacks. Very rarely are they able to speak for themselves. Parents are put to the pin of their collars to cope given some of these children can be challenging at home and in the school system. As I stated, relationship building is important to special needs children.

I wish to raise another matter which relates in a small way to the rural transportation system. Our current fleet of ambulances are top of the range - they may be Mercedes - and are fine when used to transport people on the M50 or other good roads. However, their use in the Nire valley, which is beautifully scenic and so on, is not good as the suspension in the ambulances is not suitable to roads deemed to be of not good standard. Patients, be they in premature labour or suffering spinal injury, can suffer more danger to their health when transported in these vehicles. I ask that a standardised protocol be put in place so that the ambulance service, in light of the provision of centres of excellence in regionalised locations, is suitable for all roads in the country and not just on motorways.