Rónán Mullen (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for her response. I reassure her that in talking about the potential downstream consequences of mismanagement I do not suggest mismanagement of the existing budgetary allocation to the area of special needs in education, I am talking about the wider mismanagement of public money in the economy and, therefore, the lack of necessary extra and additional resourcing. The Minister of State made the point she estimates the approximately 20% of the budget, at approximately €1.8 billion, going to special educational needs is not far off the quota of students with special educational needs of one type or another. Surely, when we speak about children with special educational needs, we imagine there would be a greater percentage of resources and not a slightly lesser percentage of resources dedicated to their needs. Why are individual education plans in the legislation if they have not been provided? I am involved in the management of a primary school in receipt of resources under the special needs heading and I do not dispute there has been much investment in the area but why, if the legislation envisages individual educational plans, has it not been implemented 14 years on?