asked the Minister for Education the number of teachers employed currently North of the Liffey in the Eastern Health Board area and working with the speech and language impaired; the function these teachers have; the age at which the speech and language impaired children leave these schools and the follow-up facilities that are available to them if required; the number of children who left these schools in 1982 and 1983 and the percentage of these who were classified as capable of attending an ordinary national or secondary school.

Children with speech and language impairment attend a wide range of schools including both ordinary and special schools. The majority of children with serious disorders of communication attend, as appropriate, special schools for the hearing impaired, for the mentally handicapped, for the emotionally disturbed and for the physically handicapped, as their communication disorders are invariably associated with the foregoing handicapping conditions. Information regarding the staffing of these special schools will be forwarded to the Deputy.

Further statistical details in the form requested by the Deputy are not available to my Department.

I am disappointed that some of the details I requested here are not available because it makes it very difficult to ask the Minister further questions by way of clarification. What function have these teachers in these schools. I take it we are talking about special schools on the north side of the city catering for children with impairment, specifically here speech and language impairment?

The Deputy asked me the number of teachers employed currently north of the Liffey in the Eastern Health Board area and working with the speech and language impaired. I have informed the Deputy that information regarding the staffing of these special schools will be forwarded to him but that the other statistical information he has requested is not available in my Department.

But surely information on the function of these teachers would be available. What precisely is the function of these teachers because there seems to be a lot of confusion in relation to that?

Indeed the last three questions could have been taken together. With regard to the function of the teachers concerned, if the Deputy will put down a question, I will give him the information.

But I have the question down, a Cheann Comhairle. I said: "the function these teachers have;"— it is there in the question — and I want to draw the Minister's attention to it.

I have said that this information in relation to staffing will be communicated to the Deputy and that the other detailed statistical information is not available to me.

Why is there a difficulty about providing information here regarding the function of teachers?

I have said that I have not got the information in my brief and that I will communicate with the Deputy as soon as I get the information for him.

Part of Deputy Liam Fitzgerald's question relates to the follow-up facilities that would be available to these children when they leave these schools, be those education or social facilities. What information has the Minister in his brief relating to that aspect of the question: what follow-up facilities are available to those children?

Surely that is a separate question and, if the Deputy puts down a question, I will answer it.

No, I have it down.

It is in the question.

I have said that as soon as I get the information I will supply it to the Deputy.

I am extremely dissatisfied with this information. I want to put it to you, Sir, that I put down a question also to the Minister for Health and I received the same kind of answer. I am wondering is there a cover-up and, if there is, I want it uncovered. I am sorry, a Cheann Comhairle, but I am extremely disturbed about this. I regard this as a very serious problem. I am aware of the difficulties — I did not want to come out publicly on it — but I am now saying to the Minister that there is a problem here.

The Deputy must confine himself to a question.

Will the Minister agree with me that this constitutes a serious problem area, that there is dissatisfaction amongst parents with the level of service available which is totally inadequate?

I have already answered the question twice — I think this is the third time — that I am not dissatisfied with the services available. I have made that perfectly clear to the Deputy.

Why is the information not available regarding the function of teachers and the follow-up facilities?

I have said already to the Deputy, in regard to that, that I will make the information available to him but that I have not got it in my brief.

I am calling Question No. 24.

I appreciate the Minister's difficulty. Does the Minister appreciate that it is important for parents to have this type of information — the rate of progress their children should be expected to make, that this information is not being made available to them now. I can prove that——

What the Deputy is now saying would be more suitable to an Estimates debate.

Will the Minister confirm that for me?

I have no information to that effect but it is normal for inspectors of my Department to visit schools of that sort occasionally.