Máire Devine (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Céad míle fáilte to the representatives of the IMPACT trade union who are in the Visitors Gallery. The ongoing work and commitment which IMPACT and its members have vested in this sector is second to none. If they had been treated with any respect at all by this Government we would not be here this evening. We have a dysfunctional relationship between the Department of Education and Skills and the workers and families within our schools. It is not fair that the SNAs employed by the State, the schools run by the State, and the families whose children are reliant on SNAs are left in the lurch like this year after year.

I cannot understand why after four years of ongoing failure there is still a habitual failure by the Department to publish the allocation of SNAs in a timely fashion. It is hugely disrespectful not just to the workers in the sector but also to the parents and the children who depend on these services to access a level playing field in education. The signal this ongoing failure by the Department sends to out SNAs and children is that they are not valued. They seem to be an afterthought. The agreements they have with the Department around deadlines do not seem to be worth the paper they are written on. What we do know for sure is that the Department is fully aware of how important and how serious this issue is for workers in the sector. We know this because the Department of Education and Skills published a report in January 2016 entitled, A report on the role of the special needs assistant. Recommendation nine of the report stated:

SNA allocations need to be made at an earlier date in order to provide SNAs with the appropriate notice of their employment in advance of the upcoming school year. Earlier allocations would also be beneficial for parents and students as they will have clear knowledge of the SNA support they may or may not be receiving for the upcoming school year. A March or April allocation deadline would be preferable.

This issue was explained to the Department in 2015 and the report was published in 2016. It outlined what had to be done. Why has the Department of Education and Skills failed in 2016 and 2017 to achieve this? If this happened once it would be frustrating. However, it happens every year. It is an habitual failure by the Minister's Department and that is why we are here. Sinn Féin fully supports the decision by 97% of members of IMPACT to take industrial impact in regard to this issue. We respect the work that they do. We recognise their commitment to students who need their vital help. SNAs are a lifeline to any person in a school with a disability. They help students with their tasks and allow students to get on with learning. The more inclusive we make our schools, the better the environment we create for all students and staff.

However, the stark reality is that our students today are being taught in overcrowded classrooms. More and more costs of supposedly free education are being passed on to parents who should not have to deal with that sort of mental and financial distress. Voluntary contributions place a heavy burden on the family purse. SNAs have a relationship with the assigned students. They want security and continuity to strengthen that bond. At the very least, the SNA and the child should know in a timely fashion what the future of that relationship will be. This basic demand is not being met. This sort of behaviour displayed by the Department of Education and Skills is hugely disrespectful and unacceptable. To continue ignoring the demands and the needs of SNAs in this sector is unacceptable.

The Minister was told by representatives of IMPACT in 2015 at the Joint Committee on Education and Skills that the way SNAs were being treated was disrespectful. However, it has continued for a further two years. We have a situation where schools across the country are finishing their term for the summer, closing their doors and principals cannot prepare their schools' schedules for the next term because they do not know the allocation of SNAs. SNAs are left in the lurch as to whether they will have a job to go back to. They cannot apply for as new job because they may still have their old one. They cannot get the relevant documentation in order to apply for work, or at least prepare to apply, because they will not know what their situation will be. There is no security and no certainty. It is not good enough that the State would continue to act like this as an employer. Not only that, but last May we had 558 schools looking to appeal their special needs allocation under the new resource model. SNAs, as well as families, are being left in limbo and with a lack of clarity as to the resources that will be available to them.The Minister must ensure that this critical information is provided to schools in good time. It is prudent, it is sensible and it is doable.

I am also aware that the Government is currently carrying out a top-secret review of the special needs assistant, SNA, scheme. I ask the Minister to please outline the steps being taken in this review process, the participants in the review, and whether, though it seems doubtful, trade union representation is being considered. The Minister should remember that trade unions are the only organisations that represent and protect workers. It is disappointing that there is an attempt to block them and to keep them outside the door behind which decisions are made. Just as an aside, it was also disappointing that yesterday the amendment to the Finance Bill 2017 proposing to reintroduce tax allowances for trade union subscriptions was ruled out of order, but sin scéal eile. It seems that the attack on trade unions goes on and on.

IMPACT represents over 8,000 workers in this sector alone, and they are being ostracised when it comes to this issue. How can the Minister expect to deliver a review with any sort of credibility when it does not contain the experiences and input of workers in the sector? The delay in publishing SNA allocations is not only in breach of the 2016 report by the Committee on Education and Skills, it also undermines both the Haddington Road agreement and the Lansdowne Road agreement. These are provisions and deals that have already been agreed to, but they are not being fulfilled.

It is for these reasons, and many more, that we will be supporting the Labour motion this evening. We call on the Minister to deal with the SNA allocations in a sufficiently timely manner, as IMPACT has requested; to provide job security to workers in this sector; and to establish a procedure for grievances to be heard. These demands are not a lot to ask for, considering the vital work SNAs do. They and their staff representatives deserve the Minister's respect.