Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)
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128. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills her views on the key recommendations of the report on the summer programme 2023 (details supplied), published by the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Autism in November 2022; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [4882/23]

Josepha Madigan (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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The 2022 Summer Programme built on the expanded programmes of the previous two years. Since 2021, all primary and post-primary schools were given the opportunity to run at least one scheme under the programme.

The Department has listened carefully to feedback from stakeholders and is working to make the scheme as inclusive as possible and available to as many eligible students as possible, whilst retaining a focus on children and young people with the most complex needs. The programme that has been provided in recent years was developed following extensive engagement with education stakeholders, parents, and disability advocacy groups. For instance, in 2022, to support more schools to participate, greater flexibility was given to schools, additional supports were provided to alleviate administration burdens, and staff who took part were paid earlier than ever before.  The programme has gone from strength to strength, with over 42,000 pupils benefitting from a programme either in the school-based or home-based strands. I am however conscious that parents want this programme to be available in more schools in 2023. 

An additional €20 million funding has been approved under Budget ‘23 to continue the expanded summer programme for next year, bringing the total to €40 million for 2023. This earlier announcement of funding has been secured will allow schools several extra months to plan for the programme this year. 

My Department has conducted a review of the Summer Programme to ensure that we can build on the success of recent years.  As part of this review my Department took a proactive approach and developed this years programme based on this review, other forms of feedback including engagement with the parents, advocacy groups, schools and management bodies with a view to encouraging more schools to participate in 2023.  Department officials met with the principals of Special Schools in meetings around the country.  They also met with officials from Malta on two occasions to utilise some of the learnings from their system in terms of the planning and organisation.  There will be particular focus on Special Schools in 2023, with additional supports being made available to them to run a programme.

The actions and terms for the 2023 programme are being implemented following this comprehensive review and engagement with education partners and stakeholders since last summer, including the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Autism. I very much welcome the contribution made by the Joint Committee to ensuring we have the best possible summer programme available. The recommendations of the November 2022 report by the Joint Committee are very much aligned to the outcome of the review and developments for this year's Summer Programme.

A major focus in 2023 is that those children with the most complex needs, especially in special schools, should have access to a school-based summer programme, additional mechanism to support this including:-

- additional funding and resources to ease the burden of administration associated with the programme

- access to additional workforce availability

- new leadership role in schools, from a much earlier stage in the school year, to support planning and preparation

The details of the Summer Programme are due to be announced next week. Information and guidance will be circulated to schools, and published on www.gov.ie/summerprogramme.