Eugene Murphy (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire Stáit as ucht an cheist seo a fhreagairt. I acknowledge that he is answering on behalf of the Minister of State, Deputy Madigan. To be fair to both of them, I raised an additional issue in inquiring about the shortage of space and the plans for a new build. My question really was around the current shortage of teachers to deal with the number of students and the need to ensure all children get a fair crack of the whip in terms of education, particularly in Gaelscoileanna. Perhaps I should not have mixed up two separate issues.

The Minister of State noted that the Department of Education is allocating 25% of its budget, amounting to €2 billion in expenditure, to additional teaching care supports for children with special educational needs. However, as I said, the allocation is based on a school's profile and is taken as an average for the country. Gaelscoil de hÍde has seven children with special needs and an allocation of 1.5 SNAs. The school unquestionably needs at least one additional SNA. There must be a little flexibility in this regard. I intend to continue this fight and to talk directly to the Minister of State, Deputy Madigan, and the Minister, Deputy Foley. I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Noonan, for coming to the House to listen to my case and to take the message back to his colleagues.