Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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326. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if she is aware of incidents in which children with special educational needs who had enjoyed supports as part of the previous supports system are to have these existing supports withdrawn henceforth following the introduction of the new access and inclusion model, AIM, to support children with disabilities and special needs to access preschool education; if such a removal of supports contravenes a previous commitment given by her in which it was stated that all supports currently available through the various agencies are to remain in place for 2016-17 during this transition period; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20232/16]

Katherine Zappone (Dublin South West, Independent)
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Last month I introduced the Access and Inclusion Model (AIM), a new programme of supports to enable children with a disability to access and fully participate in the free pre-school programme. The AIM initiative was led by my Department, in close collaboration with the Department of Health, the Department of Education and Skills and others.

As the Deputy notes, when introducing AIM, I emphasised that all existing supports, whether funded via the HSE or the Department of Education and Skills, should remain in place until the new model is fully embedded in the system. This approach was agreed by the three Government Departments involved in the development of the model and remains the policy position.

It is my understanding that all local services provided by or on behalf of the HSE have been issued with an instruction from HSE senior management that existing supports are not to be withdrawn from children with a disability until AIM is fully embedded. I will raise this matter again with my colleague, Mr Finian McGrath, TD, Minister of State at the Department of Health with special responsibility for disability.