Fiona O'Loughlin (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

As I had an opportunity to speak on this Bill on Second Stage, I will be very brief. As the Minister of State knows and has been fighting for, the amount of resources and funding going into special education is absolutely unprecedented. While the funding is there, it is the outcomes that are important in terms of the young people and, of course, their families. Life is very difficult for a family when their child receives a diagnosis of an intellectual disability, no matter what type of disability it is. It can be difficult because they are trying to find their way as parents anyway, and then they are trying to find their way - there is no direct roadmap - towards getting all the extra supports and help they need to encourage that young person, who they have been entrusted with to reach his or her full potential. That is why it is so important for young people in all families and communities to have the opportunity to go to school with their siblings and peers. The Bill is the very essence of giving that opportunity and making sure every child has that opportunity.

It is very important, and we spoke about this on Second Stage, that it is not just about the room or building, but also about the supports that go with that room or building and about having SNAs. It was good news to see University College Dublin announce that it has brought in the accreditation for SNAs who have taken that extra step. This is very important in terms of professionalising the whole profession. It is about having the extra SNA supports and cross-cutting therapy supports that are under disability as opposed to education. We still have a way to go in ensuring we have all those complementary supports. We are most definitely on the right path in ensuring the Bill is passed and every child will have an opportunity in his or her community.