Robbie Gallagher (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire go dtí an Teach. Cuirim fáilte mhór roimh na daoine atá ag éisteacht linn inniu fosta.

Fianna Fáil fully supports the Labour Party motion. I compliment the Labour Party Members on raising it. From a Fianna Fáil perspective we have been consistently critical of the manner in which the Government allocates SNAs. It is something that has been going on now over a four year period. It is very unfair on SNAs, the schools, the boards of management and the children. The Government's treatment of people employed as SNAs is reprehensible and completely lacking in respect.

When the 2016-2017 school year ended, management of schools still did know how many SNAs would be allocated or even if they could retain their current staff. This also meant that people employed as SNAs did not know if they would be employed next year. The situation created unnecessary hardship as things were let go to the wire. It is unfair on SNAs who have to live with this uncertainty. Often they do not if they are going to have a job. Everybody would agree that is a very regrettable situation to be in.

When announcements were finally made, school boards of management and teaching staff had to come in during the summer to try to put arrangements in place so that they would be good to go at the start of the academic year in September. Bear in mind that boards of management members were doing that in a voluntary capacity and the teachers were on annual leave. It was very unfair that they were asked to do that. It is time the special needs allocation was given greater predictability and announced before it gets too late. It should be announced no later than mid-May to give everybody time to know exactly where they stand and put proper plans in place. The SNAs would know that they have a job in their existing school or whether they have to make plans to try to find employment elsewhere.

It is important when we are discussing the issue of special needs education that we must not focus exclusively on the cost to the State. That would be a mistake. Rather, we must reflect on the real and positive impact that SNAs have on the well-being of our children with special needs. I hear reports that the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Deputy Donohoe, has raised concerns with the Minister in regard to the cost of special needs in schools. It is important the Minister holds firm and we do not lose sight of the bigger and very important picture.

Special needs education has transformed over the last 20 years and we can be very proud of the progress we have made in that regard. It is imperative that we do not take a step back from that real progress. Nothing must be done to jeopardise that because it is important that each child who receives support from the Department of Education and Skills is classified as a valuable member of our society. The State must support his or her learning and development as much as possibly. I am reminded when discussing this subject of the great American liberator, Frederick Douglass, who way back in the mid-1880s came up with the famous quote that we often use and it is very apt that we would use it today. "It is easier to build strong children than it is to repair broken men."