Fidelma Healy Eames (Fine Gael)

Last week we had a very timely and lively debate in the House on special needs. At that time the Minister for Education and Science, Deputy Batt O'Keeffe, in a scripted speech accused me of making a political football of children with special needs. Prior to that, last spring in Leinster House he said he would go public on me if I said that all children with special needs could not be mainstreamed. On 9 December he threatened to sue me personally if I continued to make remarks on special needs cuts. My question to the Leader is as follows.