Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the decision made regarding the pay claim for the staff of the Houses of the Oireachtas. I commend the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Deputy Michael McGrath, on signing the order in this regard. I commend all involved in the initiative and the effort to ensure the staff of the Houses of the Oireachtas receive proper and just pay. I compliment, in particular, my own secretary, Ruth Lawlor, who was active in the pursuit of this pay claim. I hope we can have a debate on this issue in due course.

I primarily raise an issue pertaining to education and special education in respect of special schools. I refer to the need for a debate on reform concerning and action on decoupling special schools from the existing provision of posts of home school liaison officers. I hope the Minister of State with special responsibility for special education, Deputy Josepha Madigan, will come to the House so we can have a debate on the provision of home school liaison officers for special schools. Posts of this nature are not sanctioned now for special schools in the context of existing home school liaison provision.

It is important that consideration is given to the need to expand this type of post to special schools. This concerns community-based education, releasing teaching posts already sanctioned in the budget and empowering special schools to enable them to have home school liaison for those students and families who require it the most. I have met with groups of teachers from Cork who are part of the special schools provision in the city.It is important that the Cork special schools principals group is supported not just by words in the Seanad but by action from all of us. In the budget we promised to provide extra teaching posts and I hope they can be awarded as a matter of urgency. I refer in particular to the need for administrative leave relating to deputy principal posts to be given to special schools. I hope to have that debate in the context of a wider debate on education.

I welcome the young students from Trim, County Meath whom I met in the corridor. I assure them that the Minister, Deputy Foley, has listened to their concerns around the provisions of the junior certificate results and they will be released earlier next year. They are a very energetic bunch of transition year students and they are very welcome.