The Minister for Education, Ms Hanafin, conceded that the Government was "playing catch-up" in the provision of services to people with special educational needs.
"In any area of historical under-provision, it takes time to improve services to an appropriate level," she said. "The recent establishment of the National Council for Special Education, and the transfer of functions to it, will resolve many of the difficulties that existed in the past."
Ms Hanafin said there were now more than 2,600 resource teachers, up from 104 in 1998. She was responding to a Sinn Féin private member's motion demanding a better deal for those with special needs.
The party's education spokesman, Mr Seán Crowe, said that, despite the progress made, there was anger and dismay among people in the education sector, especially the hard-pressed parents and other carers of children with special needs.
"There are three old chestnuts that keep coming up time and time again when talking to parents: the lack of and the inability to access psychological services, speech therapists and occupational therapists," he said. "The Minister must address the issues urgently. Let no one be under any doubt that the situation is extremely serious."
Mr Crowe said it would be scandalous for any school in a disadvantaged area to lose out under the new special needs allocation. "I urge the Minister not to allow that to happen. But, of course, disadvantaged schools have other needs which are pressing."
He said that one of the main issues was the high rate of turnover of teachers. An INTO survey had shown that more than one in five pupils in disadvantaged schools missed more than 20 school days in the year.
