Micheál Carrigy (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Minister of State is very welcome. I also welcome Mr. Frank Hanlon from the Department. I want to compliment the Minister of State on the work she has done in her role in special education. I know from the numerous occasions we have spoken about it that this area of the summer programme is and has been a priority for the Minister of State.

I am delighted with the announcement in the press release we received this morning that will give certainty to schools in 2023. One issue that came up when we met with many of the teachers' unions and teachers' organisations at the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Autism last week was the certainty to plan for a programme and the fact that they did not know until very late last year. I am, therefore, delighted that there is some certainty. I would like to see more details before January. We should aim or strive to have them put in place at least prior to Christmas. The reality is that at this minute, and I have seen this myself, a significant number of schools have already decided they are not doing a school-based summer programme next year. That is not acceptable.

For somewhere in the region of 80% of children, in particular those who attend special schools, a school-based programme took place in only 34 out of the 136-odd special schools in the summer of 2022. That meant those 80% of children with higher needs had no access to a programme. The home-based programme was mentioned and, to be honest, that is not an option. We have seen situations over the years where parents had to advertise online to get a tutor to take a child for July provision, as it was called, or the summer programme because there was not a school-based option for that. The reality is that the vast majority of those parents could not get a person who would take their child for the programme. That meant that child with the highest needs for whom we started the programme a number of years ago actually got no provision at all. That has to change. It is my opinion, and I have said this publicly before, that it should be mandatory for all special schools. That message needs to go out. I will get much criticism, which I got before, for saying that but it is the right thing to do. The children should be our priority and we must make sure that programme can take place.

I am also of the belief, and the Minister mentioned this in her speech, that we should expand the workforce that will be eligible to work within that programme to early childhood care and education, ECCE, workers. I would like to see speech and language and occupational therapy students in our colleges employed during the summer, giving them work experience and enabling us to give children extra services within schools. We met with HSE officials earlier today and put it to them that we should employ those students who are training, and, as has been said, children would then get a service.

At the minute, as we know, a person must have a Teaching Council number to provide the school-based provision while if he or she is home-based, that person only has to be over 18 and Garda vetted. As I said, we need a total review of the school-based programme. I appeal to every principal in every special school to put it in his or her diary for summer 2023 and to look for the staff. It is up to the Department to change the criteria on what staff are available, which I believe it will do. Every principal should put it in his or her diary, but not like it has been done in the diaries I have seen. We are 12 months out and they have already told parents there will be no provision next year. Parents and families are in despair. At a minimum, therefore, every single special school should be doing it.

We should look at a situation similar to what happened in County Kildare where students in one particular town, which I think was Naas, although I stand to be corrected, came together to make sure that at least one school in the town provided the school-based programme per year. That meant that every family within that community knew there was going to be a school-based programme. As I said, we need to prioritise it for next year, which I know the Minister of State will do, and is doing, because of the announcement that came today. I would appeal to the principals, however, in particular those in special schools, to mark in their diaries summer provision for 2023. We do not want a situation like what happened. A figure of 34 special schools out of 136 is not acceptable.