I offer my congratulations to the parents, staff and children of St. Killian's Special School who have successfully campaigned to get HSE funding to hire therapists. I fully agree with the principal, Sue Lenihan, and parents' representative, Eibhlín Gleeson, who have welcomed this short-term solution although they demand a permanent one. The €40,000 will have to be stretched to cover the needs of a school with 104 pupils that used to need a similar sum to cover a school of 70. The €40,000 provided will cover the cost of paying therapists until Christmas and no longer than that. What has been conceded at the end of 2024, therapists for the children, must not be taken away at the start of 2025. If this funding ends up being an 11-week wonder and the State goes back to the position of abandoning these kids, the outcry will be without precedent. What guarantees will the Tánaiste give that he will not abandon these children again?

As Deputy Barry will know, Deputies Pádraig O'Sullivan and Christopher O'Sullivan have been relentlessly pursuing this issue on behalf of St. Killian's. Yesterday, they received communication from the HSE in respect of St. Killian's and the use of funding to provide therapeutic support. I have spoken to the principal on this issue. My clear position is that we need school-based multidisciplinary teams in all special schools. There has been resistance to this idea, which I have put forward in Government, from the HSE because of the progressing disability model that was started in 2013. That has not worked. It has resulted in a decline in the number of therapists in special schools. Ostensibly, these therapists were to become part of CDNTs but those CDNTs have not succeeded in recruiting the necessary staff. There are all sorts of issues with it. A pilot has been agreed between the three Departments. I believe that is ultimately not sufficient. The next government will simply have to implement-----

Will the school be funded in January?

It will have to be continued. Whatever has started has to continue until we get a different system.