Alan Dillon (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

In once sense Senator Lombard's frustration is justified. I will absolutely relay his sense of disappointment regarding the timeline. We need an accelerated delivery programme on this reform. That is really important in the context of what he has advocated on behalf the young people who have special education needs and who in the future will sit their State examinations and need that additional level of support. The review needs to be expedited and we need to have a clear pathway for how this reform will be undertaken. This is not to take away from the need for extensive consultation and extensive review across a broad range of stakeholders. We need to get to the end point as quickly as possible and I understand where the Senator is coming from on behalf of those he advocates for. I will relay that message back to the Minister for Education.