Joe O'Toole (Independent)

That is fine. However, the sooner it is dealt with, the better in order that there will be no uncertainty about the role of the Deputy Leader or anything else. I shall hold my comments until then, at which time, I can assure the Cathaoirleach, the House will receive an independent view on what is being proposed.

Last week in the House the question of the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs Act and special needs children was raised by Senator Fitzgerald. Three or four Adjournment items on the question of special education have been raised in the meantime. When the EPSEN, Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs, Act was passed in this House I welcomed it as something of a dream solution to the problems of special education. Last week in the House people criticised the National Council for Special Education but it is an old trick of Government to blame institutions. The National Council for Special Education has done its job very well. It examined the EPSEN Act and produced a substantial report. I refer to two pages of that report, several copies of which I have before me and which I will give to interested people, which outline 42 different actions. The pages set out what constitutes each actions, by whom it should be implemented and a date line for it. A separate part of the report places a cost on every action.

To give one example, by January 2007 the recruitment campaign to hire 210 educational psychologists for the country should have taken place but at present there are fewer than 150. People raise questions here about SNAs, special needs assistants, and the reason this is a problem is every child with special needs is supposed to have attached to him or her an exact requirement of support. This is called an individual educational plan, IEP. In many cases this would require an SNA and in other cases, other supports. However, since this is not in place on a statutory basis the Department can pull back on support. People are being utterly frustrated, schools cannot do their business, it is coming back to us through the political system and we continue to raise issues on the Adjournment which should have been dealt with through the commencement of the Act, which we passed in good faith and which the Government is ignoring. It is an absolute disgrace that special needs children are being treated in this way in this country at the moment. I suggest we call on the Minister to come to the House and outline how now for the EPSEN Act. When and how will it be implemented? I recognise the problems of the economy and I do not maintain the Government should stick with the datelines set out by the National Council for Special Education but people in this area should be aware of the supports. Special children only get one chance to go to primary school and we should ensure they learn from it.