Thomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Senator very much for raising this matter. It is right that she is here to advocate on behalf of Tristan. I certainly want to do everything to help children like Tristan achieve what they can achieve. I am not the Minister with responsibility for this area, although that responsibility lies with the Department of Education. The answer may not give the Senator all the information she needs but I will certainly take up directly within the Department the issue she raised. I realise its importance and that it needs to be dealt with. Children need to be able to achieve their full potential. The answer that will be given is a general answer and is not specific, obviously, to Tristan.

Enabling children with special educational needs to receive an education is a priority for the Government. This year, the Department will spend in excess of €2 billion or more than 25% of our budget on a wide range of schemes and support for children with special educational needs.

The assistive technology scheme the Senator mentioned is provided by the Department to supplement the overall approach to providing funding for schools for digital technology and equipment to support children for educational purposes. As part of this overall approach, the Department announced in April last year the digital strategy for schools to 2027 and associated grant funding for all recognised primary and post-primary schools for digital technology infrastructure. The strategy will advance the embedding of digital technologies across teaching, learning and assessment, building on the work under previous strategies. It aims to further support the school system in order that all students across our schools have the opportunity to gain the knowledge and skills they need to navigate an ever-evolving digital world successfully. As part of the strategy, an ICT grant will be provided to schools, with €200 million annually committed to this. This approach facilitates multi-annual planning by schools to enable them to plan effectively for all of their children. The Department also funds broadband connectivity to all recognised primary, special, and post-primary schools.

I see assistive technology as a critical enabler for those, like Tristan, with special educational needs to gain the maximum benefit from a modern technologically focused education system. The Department has secured an extra €2 million funding this year for the scheme. This is up 60% on last year, so progress has been made. The increased allocation supports the Department's commitment to ensure the full range of resources, not just teachers and special needs assistants, SNAs, who are also very important, are available to support children who need it most.

The assistve technology scheme is provided by the Department to supplement the overall approach to providing funding to schools for digital technology and equipment to support children for education purposes. All equipment provided under this scheme supports children who require essential specialist equipment to access the school curriculum. All children have particular educational needs and, accordingly, it is acknowledged that all children could potentially benefit from or achieve a degree of improvement in their performance through the provision of technological support or equipment, such as personal computers.

The equipment provided under this scheme, however, is specialist equipment of a nature beyond that normally be provided to pupils by schools through general funding, funding which had previously been provided to schools through information and communication technology, ICT provision or through normal school resources or funds. Schools should as part of multi-annual planning have a digital learning plan which takes account of the needs of their students' context and circumstances. In cases where students cannot take part in the curriculum without such assistive technology, it is important to ensure the equipment is appropriate to the individualised needs of the students. In the case of students who are blind or visually impaired or students who are deaf or hard of hearing, the equipment and its appropriate usage is generally identified by the relevant visiting teacher.

I can confirm the Department is currently reviewing the scheme to ensure it is working as effectively as possible and that the resources are allocated appropriately. Certainly, what the Senator said leads me personally to have great concerns, which I will be forwarding to the Department. The review would be completed by the autumn. The process will have a consultative element and relevant stakeholders will be invited to participate.