Fidelma Healy Eames (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Senator Quinn said we are faster than the Danes when it comes to digital payments. However, PISA results published earlier which compare 15 year olds across Europe show we are not yet faster than the Finns. I attended the launch of the report earlier. It is good that we have steadied the ship but there is worrying news. One in every five of our 15 year olds is underperforming in maths and is below the cut-off point for having the ability to do maths for future living. This is serious because this means it would be beyond them to work out what a 20% discount means when buying a product in a shop. Will the Leader invite the Minister for Education and Skills to the House for a debate on this issue? Earlier intervention is needed in primary school. It is too late for many of our children to wait until second level to participate in Project Maths because they have been turned off maths at that stage.

I would like to raise a second issue that relates to education. I welcome today's announcement by the Minister, Deputy Quinn, that an additional 400 special needs assistants will be recruited at a cost of €12 million. While this is good to see, an opportunity to make a policy change in this area has been missed. I suggest that we introduce the new role of teaching assistant. SNAs care for and look after the welfare of children with special educational needs. Having discussed this issue with parents, children and teachers, it strikes me that the learning of these children, as well as their care, needs to be supported. I would like a debate on this matter. I suggest that a role of this kind, in addition to the role of the SNA, should be introduced at primary and secondary levels. I have asked the Leader to raise two issues with the Minister for Education and Skills.