Tom Fleming (Kerry South, Independent)
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159. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will introduce mechanisms to ensure that children with additional needs have the support they need to engage fully, as equals, in their early child care education setting; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [4123/15]

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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The majority of support for pre-school provision is funded by the Department of Children and Youth Affairs. My Department's role is to work in partnership with the Department of Children and Youth Affairs to improve the quality of pre-school provision. As part of this cross-Departmental work, there is a commitment in 'Better Outcomes, Brighter Futures: the Children and Young People's Policy Framework' to develop a plan for the inclusion of children with a disability in mainstream pre-school and Early Years settings. The Department of Children and Youth Affairs has lead responsibility for this commitment, and is working closely with my Department and the Department of Health. The expected deliverables from this body of work should include an agreed framework for the allocation of resources for the inclusion of pre-school children with additional needs in main-stream early years settings