Micheál Carrigy (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I congratulate the local gardaí in Longford who recently broke up an illegal gathering held by a national party at a famed War of Independence site. The 100th anniversary of events there actually takes place tomorrow.

A full review of the Clár programme by NUI Maynooth was initiated by the Department. It will examine the patterns across the country on the basis of the 2016 census. That review has not been published to date. When will it be published? Will it take into account Clondra and Stonepark, three to five miles from Longford town, which are not eligible for applying for Clár funding?

Coming back to the special schools issue I raised last week, it is an absolute disgrace the way this has gone on. Fórsa needs to stand up and go back to work. I received a letter from a parent with whom I spoke to last week. It stated:

I hold the Minister and all the Ministers in government accountable for my son's regression. I hold you responsible for all his loss of skills, the waste of years of emotional and financial investment by us and the school. I hold you accountable for his blocked access to his constitutional right for education. I write tonight for 113 days in 2020 and 25 days already in 2021. I hold you 100% responsible for the pain in my chest and the sleepless nights I endure ... A Government with foresight would invest more wisely. Ironically we watch on while full-time salaries are paid in the name of teaching and helping our children. Justified by the term remote learning ... The time will come when a future Taoiseach will have to stand up and apologise for what has happened today in our country to our most vulnerable children [kids].

I welcome the case taken by the parents. I believe Fórsa should be included as a defendant in that case. Members of that union are working every day in adult services but our younger vulnerable children are not being looked after. It should immediately indicate a return to work. We need to prioritise those who are most vulnerable and regressing in our communities.