Taoiseach pledges special needs support

ALL SCHOOLS requiring special needs assistant (SNA) support would receive it, Taoiseach Enda Kenny said. “The perception that there are serious cutbacks is simply not true.”

He said Minister for Education Ruairí Quinn had announced 90 per cent of the allocation of SNAs, which meant that he had held back 10 per cent, a total of 475 posts.

The Taoiseach said a report on value for money and effectiveness had highlighted a situation where in some cases children were allocated SNAs not because of their particular challenge or disability but for therapeutic or pedagogical reasons. “It became an understanding that schools could get SNAs for practically anything and that system could not continue.’’

He said the reduction in the overall number was less than 2 per cent to maintain the cap set for this year.

“It is not true to say that schools will lose all their support and that any child who needs SNA support will not have it. They will have it and the support will continue because it is important for the education of children as they move through the system.’’

The Taoiseach was replying to Finian McGrath (Ind), who said he and other members of the Dáil’s technical group had met hundreds of parents of children with special needs protesting outside the Dáil on Tuesday about the impact of the cuts in the number of SNAs. “They told us of their hurt, pain and genuine concerns,’’ he added.

Mr McGrath asked why Mr Kenny was cutting services for children with special needs. “Does he understand the upset and hurt of many parents of children with a disability?’’

He said if services were removed from children with special needs they might have to leave school and the State would end up paying more money for them in the provision of services.