I echo Senator Conway's welcome of the announcement made at lunchtime today by the Minister for Education and Skills, Deputy Quinn, concerning his reversal of a decision. Despite the same number of teachers and special needs assistants being available and despite the provision of €1.3 billion out of the education budget of €8 billion, there were perceived cuts which would have resulted in students having fewer hours of resource teaching. Consequently, I welcome the Minister's announcement and agree with Senator Conway that children must be our priority. They must be given the best facilities and opportunities it is absolutely possible to give. The Minister, Deputy Quinn, must be commended on going back to the Cabinet, on listening to the concerns my colleagues and I have raised with him during the week and on listening to the concerns of parents and those who would be affected by it. It takes a certain amount of courage to stand up and admit one should ascertain what can be done and I welcome that decision. It is a good day for special education and for the Government.

I join colleagues in welcoming the reversal of the cut to the special education grant that was announced last week. As my leader has observed, he does not know how one could reverse a cut that was not a cut, because it was not only the Minister for Education and Skills who stated there was no cut to the budget.

The Tánaiste repeated on a number of occasions in the Dáil last Thursday that there was no cut but obviously there was a cut. I welcome the fact that it has partially been reversed. I call on the Minister to finish the job now and to increase the budget for special needs assistants.

Hear hear.