Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I fully acknowledge that extraordinary work is being done by special schools who are supporting children with particular needs. However, my response must be one that takes into account all special schools, rather than one individual school or one individual set of needs. That is why my Department is dealing with the National Association of Boards of Management in Special Education so that we can get a broad perspective on the range of challenges and consider whether there is a case for the appointment of administrative principals on the basis of different criteria to those which currently apply. The current criteria apply on the same basis across all primary schools. While I welcome the submission from the individual school, my Department will have to consider this in the context of the broader issue.