Joe McHugh (Donegal, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I am working closely with the special schools on this important issue. Approximately €1.9 billion, or almost 20% of the education budget of €11 billion, is spent on special education. There are things we get right, things we miss and things we get wrong. Much of what we do is focused on collaboration. I believe the idea of schools working together as part of a single entity represents the way forward. The first time this matter was raised with me, I learned that an insurance company had asked St. Teresa's special school to pay its annual premium with a single cheque. This approach can cause a difficulty for schools. I do not want to see schools looking for the capitation grant to increase for this specific purpose. I believe that if we can get the schools working together and get the premiums into a reasonable sort of place, it will be seen that the collaborative approach represents the way forward. Ba mhaith liom arís mo bhuíochas agus m'aitheantas a ghabháil chuig na daoine uilig a bhíonn ag obair sna scoileanna speisialta. Tá sé iontach tábhachtach go bhfuil córas sa Teach seo a thugann deiseanna dúinn bealaí a aimsiú chun bogadh ar aghaidh. Gabhaim buíochas leis an Seanadóir arís fá choinne seans a thabhairt dom labhairt ar an ábhar seo.