We move now to statements on special needs assistants. I ask people to stick to their time. Towards the end of sessions, people are being cut short or left without time, so I am going to be very strict - assertive - on time.

I thank the Cathaoirleach for giving me the opportunity to inform and update the Seanad on the special needs assistant role in our schools and the important work my Department has progressed in this area. I welcome the opportunity to listen to the views of Senators here today. I understand people were angry and frustrated at what they perceived as the removal of essential supports from students. That is why I want to assure this House that no cuts are proposed, or will be proposed, to the provision of SNA support to children and young people across our school system. My Department is fully committed to supporting children with special educational needs, and we will implement our programme for Government commitments to deliver on this objective.

As a teacher myself, I know the value of SNAs, teachers and special education teachers. I know that children thrive in school thanks to the supports provided by dedicated, hard-working school staff. I also know how vital these dedicated staff are in helping young people gain independence and confidence in the classroom and in their life beyond school. In addition to these reassurances, I want to respond to some misinformation about how the Government is supposedly cutting supports, undermining SNAs and failing to invest in our education system.

This Government and my Department have the utmost respect for SNAs, teachers, special education teachers, schools, students and their families. I fully appreciate, endorse and share my Department's insistence that special education policies are child-centred and designed to assist young people to thrive in school and to help them to reach their full potential. This year, we will invest more than €3 billion to support children. Funding has never been higher, and it represents almost a quarter of the entire education budget.

To clarify, Government was not in any manner proposing to make hundreds of SNAs redundant, a measure which would be counteractive to all we are trying to achieve. We are working to strike that balance between managing resources and ensuring those students with the highest level of need are supported in our schools. To be clear, 23,179 SNAs were allocated to schools for the 2025-26 school year. Last year, 21,579 SNAs were allocated and, next September, the allocation will increase again to 24,896. Working alongside almost 22,000 special educational teachers, this September will see almost 25,000 SNAs in our schools play a key role in supporting children and young people with care needs.

It is important to mention the important role of the National Council for Special Education, NCSE, in this regard. The NCSE has responsibility for co-ordinating and advising on the education provision and care support for children and young people with special educational needs, and for the allocation of SNA support to schools. I fully support the NCSE in its work with schools. As a teacher, I could not stand over cuts to special education services, and Government has repeatedly stated that improving the lives of people with a disability or a special educational requirement is a priority.

As Senators are aware, Government has agreed measures which will give clarity to school communities. These measures are: all schools reviewed by the NCSE and allocated additional resources will receive them in the upcoming school year; no reductions will come into effect in the 2026-27 school year; and the SNA redeployment scheme, the SNA workforce development plan and changes to the 2014 circular outlining the role of a SNA will be advanced before any further decisions are taken.

Over the past two years, my Department has been working diligently to progress the first special needs workforce development plan, which is scheduled for delivery in 2026. Overall, this plan will include consideration of how best SNAs can work together with school leaders, teachers, students and the whole school community to ensure they can provide the most effective service to children and young people with special educational needs. The plan covers five pillars or main areas: review and development of the SNA role; establishment of a quality framework; establishment of an SNA learning and development programme; supporting SNA recruitment, retention and diversity; and development of a communications strategy. The initial phase of this work involved substantial research and analysis which fed into the collaborative phase and informed all the proposals for the final plan. This consultation was vital to include the voice of the SNAs working in the schools, as well as that of the students, parents, guardians, school leaders and teachers.

Research was followed by significant collaboration with all the key stakeholders.

Each of the five pillars of the plan were represented by a working group which included representatives from the school management bodies, Fórsa representatives and SNAs. The working groups met 54 times over the past two years. There were also two stakeholder groups providing feedback on the proposals for the plan, which met four times each over the course of the work of the plan. The first of these stakeholder groups consisted of teacher unions, school leadership and representative bodies, student body representatives and special needs advocacy groups. The second group consisted wholly of SNAs from different sectors in the education system. This extensive collaboration was vital to deliver a robust SNA workforce development plan.

In relation to the review of the SNA role, research on the plan has shown that there is a strong need for clarity, transparency and consistency around the SNA role, which is currently set out in Circular 30/2014. An extensive review has been completed in collaboration with stakeholders to provide clarity on the SNA role and duties, and to account for the evolved role of the SNA. The new circular, entitled Supporting Guidance, will support best practice in the role. To complement this work, we will also establish a robust SNA redeployment scheme to facilitate the redeployment of eligible SNAs from schools with surplus posts. As is evident from the SNA reviews, the level of SNA support required in a school may reduce year on year due to children having left the school or the care needs of the students having diminished. Conversely, schools may require a higher level of support when the level of care needs increase, new students join the school or new needs emerge.

Other than the ETBI redeployment scheme, at present there is no formal redeployment scheme. The introduction of this scheme will have many benefits. Students and school communities will benefit as vacant posts are filled by SNAs who are trained, experienced and skilled. The scheme will increase job security for SNAs and reduce redundancies. Schools will also have less of an administrative burden for recruitment to fill vacant posts. I am pleased to confirm that the drafting of the plan and the actions under each of the pillars is now at an advanced stage and I am engaging with the unions to progress the plan to its final stages. Given the significant work on these important initiatives and the benefits they will bring to SNAs and school communities, I am determined to publish the SNA workforce plan as soon as possible and I look forward to hearing the views of the Senators.

Thank you for keeping to your time. I hope all Senators will do the same. I am not looking at anyone in particular.

The Acting Chair is very good at that himself. The Minister is very welcome to the Chamber once again. The key point I want to begin with is that special needs assistants are an essential part of our education system and the Government is committed to ensuring that children who need support in school continue to receive it. Across the country every day, SNAs work alongside teachers and special education teachers to support children with additional care needs. Their work helps children participate in school life, gain independence and build the confidence they need to learn and grow. Parents see that impact at home, teachers see it in the classroom, and students experience it directly through the supports and reassurances SNAs provide. That is why it is important that we deal with this issue carefully, responsibly and, above all, as the Minister said herself, factually.

There has been a great deal of concern and uncertainty in recent weeks about the SNA allocations and I understand this concern. When families hear that changes might affect supports for their children, it is entirely natural that they worry. SNAs themselves, who dedicate their working lives to supporting students, have also been understandably anxious about what changes might mean for their roles. However, it is also important that we clarify exactly what decisions have been made.

Last week, the Government agreed a number of important measures that provide certainty for schools, parents and SNAs. First, as the Minister said, there will be no reduction in SNA allocations for the 2026-27 school year. Second, any school that was due to receive additional SNA resources will receive them. Third, schools that have been notified of reductions will now retain their existing allocation. To support these decisions the Government has allocated an additional €19 million to the Department of education to maintain these supports. This means that SNAs currently working in schools will remain in place next year, providing continuity and stability for students who depend on them. In fact, the number of SNAs in our schools will continue to grow. This September, almost 25,000 SNAs will be working in Irish schools alongside almost 22,000 special education teachers, supporting children and young people with care needs. The figure of 25,000 SNAs is an increase of 45% since 2020. That is a significant investment in inclusive education and a clear demonstration of the Government's commitment to supporting students with additional needs.

However, it is also important to understand the broader context of the SNA scheme. The scheme was originally designed to support students who have additional care needs, helping them access education safely and effectively. Over time, as awareness of special education needs has increased and more students are being supported in mainstream education, the role of the SNA has expanded in practice in many schools. While the expansion often reflects the dedication and commitment of SNAs and teachers working together to support students, it has also created some confusion about the precise role of the SNA and how supports should be allocated. At the same time, the evidence is clear that the SNA scheme remains hugely valuable. It has helped schools meet the care needs of students with disabilities and has played an important role in enabling many children to attend mainstream schools.

The challenge, therefore, is not whether SNAs are needed, because clearly they are. The challenge is ensuring that the system continues to operate fairly, so that supports are directed to the students who need them most, while also supporting the professional workforce that provide those services. That is why the Government has taken the decision not only to maintain current supports for the coming school year, but also to pause the current review process so that further work can be done. During this period, three important areas will be progressed. First, the work will continue on a comprehensive SNA workforce development plan, ensuring that the profession continues to be supported, valued and developed into the future. Collaboration on that will be done with the union, as the Minister said. On the Fórsa website today, I found that Fórsa endorsed the SNA workforce development plan as far back as 1 December 2023. It was great to see the commitment on that.

Second, a redeployment scheme will be developed so that where needs change over time, supports can be allocated more effectively across schools. This was also something that was welcomed by Fórsa as being long overdue but welcome. It was announced on 24 April last year. Third, the Department will advance changes to the circular that outlines the role of the SNA, bringing clarity for schools, parents and SNAs themselves about the responsibilities and expectations associated with the role. I am sure we have all had the opportunity to go through Circular 30/2014. It is great to see that this is going to be reviewed now to give more definition on that particular role.

These steps are about ensuring that the system works better for everyone involved - students, families, schools and SNAs. It is also important to address one particular claim that has been circulated, that is, the suggestion that the current decision is simply a temporary pause and the same situation will arise again next year. That is not an accurate reflection of what is happening. The measures taken by Government are designed to provide stability now, while allowing time to develop a more considered and collaborative approach to the future of the scheme. The work will not be done in isolation. It will involve engaging with unions, education stakeholders and the wider school community. Ultimately, everyone involved in this discussion shares the same objective of ensuring that children with additional needs are supported in the best possible way in our schools.

When we look at the reality of our schools today, we see thousands of dedicated SNAs working with care, professionalism and commitment. We see teachers and special education teachers working closely with them to support students in every aspect of school life. We see children who are thriving because of these supports. They are gaining independence, building confidence and participating fully in education. The key point remains the same: special needs assistants are a vital part of our education system. The Government recognises their value and the importance of their work and is committed to ensuring that the supports they provide continue to be available to the students who need them. By providing certainty for the coming school year, investing additional resources and taking the time to develop a stronger long-term framework for this scheme, we are ensuring that the essential supports continue to serve students, families and schools across the country.

Senator Conway and I propose to share time.

Is that agreed? Agreed.

I will try to stick to the time. The clock is ticking. The Minister is very welcome. I am speaking on SNA numbers.

Sna hochtóidí, bhí mé i mo mhúinteoir bunscoile ar feadh dhá bhliain. Rinne mé céim oideachais i gColáiste na Tríonóide trí mheán na Gaeilge. Táim as cleachtadh le go leor bliain anuas. Déanaim tréaniarracht mo thuairimí a leagan amach go soiléir i mBéarla na banríona.

My concern is not just as a former primary school teacher who taught in a school in Lucan, but also as a parent of a child with additional needs who has benefited from, and has been able to access the curriculum because of, the provision of SNAs and that support. In that context, I remind everybody that all of our children have a constitutional right to an education. If a child is denied an SNA on the basis of some administrative interpretation in a circular around the role of the SNA, then the Minister is de facto denying a disabled citizen their constitutional right to an education and she is in breach of the legal provisions set out in the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

I am aware that in rejigging the circular on SNAs, there is a fear among many parents that the wording will still revolve round the idea of providing basic care needs, for example, toileting. There is a fear among parents that the understanding of what an SNA is there to provide support to children for is based on a medical model and an ableist model. In revising the circular, I am interested to know there will be a meaningful input. I do not mean having a consultative process that is subsequently ignored, and civil servants moving ahead with their plan anyway, which in my view is to try to rationalise the resource. It is not child-centred. It is not based on need per se. It is an attempt to rationalise the resource, and while I understand that from a quantitative, deterministic, financial point of view, it is not child-centred, family-centred or based on the fundamental human rights of our children.

There are a number of anomalies that have been brought to my attention in relation to the SNA issue. I was at the march and protest outside Leinster House last week and earlier this week, I travelled to different parts of the country to meet parents who are concerned about SNAs because it is a crisis. A crisis has been manufactured. None of these parents are my constituents. I went into constituencies represented by Members of this House and the Lower House and people's needs are not being met. For example, in relation to special classes that are supported by SNAs, in 2026-27, there will be one new special class for children with general learning disorders - that might be mild or moderate; I am not sure. By the same token, there will be 333 new classes for children with ASD. That is the projection. I do not know if that will happen on the ground. There seems to be an imbalance between the needs of different categories, if you will, of children with special needs, whether they be intellectual or, as in the case of my son, physical.

I am very concerned that the Department is either wittingly or unwittingly - I would like to give it the benefit of the doubt - trying to create a hierarchy of need amongst children. The Minister said that we want to meet the needs of those who have the highest need. I am sorry, but the needs of all children who have a need must be met. It is their constitutional right. I do not like the idea of need being triaged or that a hierarchy of categories of need is being created. A feature of our community of disabled citizens and carers has been that fragmentation of our community, revolving around the competition for resources because we do not have a rights-based provision of resources in Ireland. We have a charitable, ableist model, one that says people will take what they are given. Parents and different parts of our community are forced to compete for inadequate resources that can actually be provided, given the balance of our Exchequer.

It behoves the Minister, Deputy Naughton, the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality, Deputy Foley, and Minister of State, Deputy Higgins, to put pressure on the Department of public expenditure and the Department of Finance to do the right thing for our disabled citizens because we are outliers in European terms. The SNA issue is just a symptom of a broader problem. It is an ideological position that sees disabled citizens in this country as having less human value than other citizens. That has been our lived experience, and my experience as a public representative interacting with parents all over the country. I receive hundreds of emails every week from families in crisis and suffering from trauma, moral distress and moral injury. People think that the difference is a challenge, but it is not. The difference is all the people who have chosen to be in the disability space.

I spoke to some parents in Loughrea. There are 20 children between CDNT 8 and CDNT 6, which I believe is in the Minister's constituency, who have no access to supports and therapies for apraxia. If these children do not get these supports, they will become non-verbal. Imagine, 20 little citizens who will never be able to speak. The power of the human voice - it is our most important instrument, whether it is for singing or whether it is to mobilise social power or personal power, to participate or to self-actualise. To deny children access to a pilot programme that is properly funded and resourced so that they can become verbal is grotesque. We should do our utmost for these children. Again, this issue is just a symptom of a broader ableist perspective that does not see children with difference as having inalienable, fundamental human rights.

I do not have all that much to add to Senator Clonan's exposition, but I want to put a little bit of historical perspective on the matter under discussion today. I come at it from the point of view of a múinteoir scortha, chomh maith leis an Seanadóir Clonan, agus b'fhéidir an tAire.

My time in the classroom finished in 2005. At that stage, I had been a teaching principal of a four-teacher school in County Waterford for 19 years. It pre-dated the 2014 circular so there was no such thing as an SNA in the schools I worked in. When we look at the numbers that are involved in special needs assistance now, one thing that we should look at, from the glass half-full rather than half-empty perspective, is how far we have to come with support for children with special needs.

If we extrapolate the figures from then and now - and I am looking back at a teaching career that lasted 32 years before I went working with one of the colleges of education in 2005 - every time I was in front of a class, there were two or three children who needed special needs assistance but did not get it. In a sort of oblique way, I want to celebrate the fact that we have it now, but é sin ráite.

This is putting the cart before the horse slightly because, as my colleague Senator Curley knows, we have a meeting of the Joint Committee on Education and Youth tomorrow and this matter is going to come before that and we will be able to scrúdú níos fearr agus iniúchadh a dhéanamh leis na daoine atá ag teacht isteach, and we may be able to get more reasoned debate. The format of this debate is not great to pick out what happened in the whole debacle or whatever. We will get a chance to go through it tomorrow. I do not want to say anything much except thank the Minister for her sharp, instantaneous response to the crisis that emerged over the last number of weeks.

I will not be around, but maybe when the Minister comes to publish her diaries, she will tell us the full story of what went on behind it all. I would love to be around to read it.

It is not all that.

Senators Curley and O'Loughlin are sharing time. Is that agreed? Agreed.

Táim an-bhuíoch a bheith in ann caint faoin ábhar thar a bheith tábhachtach seo. I welcome the opportunity to speak on the important role of special needs assistants in our education system this evening.

As someone who comes from a teaching background, I have seen at first hand the extraordinary work carried out by SNAs every day in schools across the country. They are a vital part of the school community and play a central role in supporting children with additional needs to fully participate in education. For many pupils, an SNA is not simply an assistant. They are a support, an advocate and often the difference between a child being able to fully access school life or not.

In recent weeks, we have seen significant concern across schools regarding SNA allocations. Principals, teachers and parents contacted public representatives across the country, expressing very real anxiety about potential reductions in support for children with additional needs. I welcome the fact that the situation has now been resolved and that those proposed changes have been reversed. That brings much-needed certainty and reassurance to schools and families. However, we must acknowledge that the situation should not have arisen in the first place. For families of children with additional needs, the prospect of losing support is deeply worrying. For school leaders, uncertainty around allocations creates real operational challenges and, for SNAs themselves, it raises understandable concerns about the stability of the system they work within. What this episode demonstrates is the importance of clear communication, early engagement with schools and a system that is responsive to the realities on the ground.

The SNA scheme is one of the pillars of Ireland's inclusive educational model. There are now nearly 25,000 SNAs within our education system. That reflects a really strong commitment from Government to supporting children with additional needs across the country, but we must ensure that the system continues to evolve in a way that works for schools.

Schools today are supporting pupils with increasingly complex needs, including autism, sensory needs, behavioural challenges and medical requirements. That places significant demands on SNAs, teachers and school leaders alike. It is, therefore, essential that we continue to strengthen the scheme, not only in terms of numbers but in terms of training, supports and clarity around the role. SNAs are highly-skilled professionals who play a critical role in supporting students' care needs, independence and participation in the classroom. We should continue to look at opportunities to expand training and special development so that SNAs feel supported in dealing with the increasingly complex needs that exist in schools today. We must also ensure that the allocation system remains flexible. Schools need the ability to respond when students' needs change during the school year. Above all, we must recognise the team-based approach that exists in our schools. SNAs work alongside teachers, special education teachers and school leaders to support students. That collaboration is one of the strengths of our education system.

Ultimately, our goal must remain clear. Every child, regardless of their needs, deserves the opportunity to fully participate in education and to reach their full potential. SNAs are central in making that happen, so while recent events caused understandable concern, they should also serve as a reminder of just how valued and essential SNAs are within our school communities. As policymakers, we must continue working constructively with schools, SNAs and families to ensure the system supports them properly, because when we support SNAs, we support students and when we support students, we strengthen our entire education system.

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Seanadóir Curley. I welcome the Minister here. We all appreciate the opportunity to speak about this important issue because, no more than those in the Dáil, many of us have addressed this over the last over week or two, both on the Order of Business and through Commencement matters.

I always use the term "school communities" in talking about education because there are so many pieces to the jigsaw of the education of a young person. Of course, parents are the primary educators but the school community is made up of teachers, SNAs, secretaries and caretakers. They all play a hugely important role in supporting the child at the centre of all of this.

Special needs assistants are really the quiet backbone of Ireland's education system. Every day, in classrooms right across the country, SNAs provide safety, care, dignity and opportunity to the children who need it most. SNAs are not extras in our education system. SNAs are not optional in our education system. SNAs are absolutely essential. They often give children the confidence to walk into school knowing that they will be understood, encouraged, cared for and supported. The SNAs help create environments where inclusion is not just a slogan; it is a lived reality, and that is what we all want for the children in our schools.

Conditions and pay are absolutely important, but the SNAs do their really important work, in my experience, with patience and with compassion that cannot be measured on any payslip. When the State invests in SNAs, it invests in children, in families and in good, inclusive communities. We cannot doubt for a second the investment that the State has made on an ongoing basis in special education and, in fairness, in SNAs. Only this week, St. Mark's in Newbridge, which is a special school, will have its formal opening. I had the opportunity to visit the school a few months ago. It is wonderful to see a state-of-the-art modern building serving the needs of the children who go there and have the opportunity to engage with the SNAs who do incredible work, along with the teachers. I want to take the opportunity to wish them well with their formal opening.

I met a principal two weeks ago. We met about another matter but, obviously, this issue came up. She told me that out of an enrolment of 350 students, 60 of them had care needs and that number is growing, year by year. While it is welcome that we have 25,000 SNAs and we will have another 1,700 in September, the needs are growing for lots of different reasons, some of which lie outside education. However, within education we need to do everything that we can to support the children who are coming to us.

When somebody has a child with extra needs within their family, everything becomes personal and every perceived cut becomes personal. It becomes personal not only maybe because of what is happening your family or your child, but because you recognise the struggle that other parents have had, so you take it personally when you see any other family going through it. Cuts or perceived cuts to SNAs are viewed in that way by many schools and many communities. I, too, stood outside the Dáil supporting the SNAs. I will always stand with SNAs and I will always stand with school communities.

I do not think anybody has any issue with the review process. Review processes need to happen. Numbers need to be looked at, even though, obviously, this goes beyond numbers and beyond statistics. There is an annual review in relation to teachers. The Department and the Minister need to make sure the SNAs are where they are needed, and that is with the children that are in most need. We know the school population changes, year by year. Years ago, when I was a primary school teacher, you pretty much knew in September the children you were going to have for the year, but now that changes. Particularly in commuter belt areas, teachers are telling me that they often have a fluctuation of 30% a year, which is a significant amount of change.

It is also important a school has the opportunity to request a review if it needs more SNAs, but there is no doubt that the communication that happened two weeks ago was handled really badly. It led to a lot of fear and huge concern.

I welcome that, following the pause, it was agreed and the Minister and the Minister of State, Deputy Moynihan, announced that there would be no cuts and those schools that needed the extra SNAs would get them. The Minister spoke about redeployment, which is important. The circular from 2014 is also important. Special education has changed a lot since then.

We should not be afraid of reviews. We should ensure there is proper consultation with everybody who will be impacted.

The Minister of State, Deputy Moynihan, is welcome. As the Minister, Deputy Naughton, acknowledged in her speech, the debacle over the past few weeks has caused much distress and worry to SNAs, parents, principals and teachers. It all arose from the result of the review of SNA allocation and how that was communicated and addressed. I commend the actions of SNAs, principals, teachers and parents who stood up and called out what they thought was very unfair. They only did so for parents to protect their children.

Some of the SNAs who contacted me were worried about their jobs, and rightly so, but the most concern they had was for the children they are providing support to in the schools and the thought that those children would have to go without that support. I know a pause was announced and then an assurance was given that there would be no cuts in the next school year, with an additional €19 million provided. However, people are still concerned about what is going to happen after that.

Circular 30/2014 contains a focus on primary care needs and granting access to SNAs based on primary care needs. We know that many more children are granted access to SNA support than those who just have primary care needs, and rightly so. If SNA access is withdrawn from a child in the classroom, it affects the whole class. The teacher will not be able to teach and the children will not be able to learn if one student in the class who has additional needs requires a movement break or needs to leave the class to regulate. If an SNA is not present, the teacher cannot ask that student to leave with being accompanied because it is not safe. Therefore, such children have to stay in the class. They are upset, they upset the rest of the class and the teacher cannot get on with teaching. SNA support is vital.

I taught at second level for many years. I worked before and after there were SNAs in the school, and I saw the difference and the contribution that they made. I was the special educational needs, SEN, co-ordinator in the school for a time. I would have to look at the SNA allocation and decide, along with the principal, where SNAs should spend their time and to whom they should give their time. We would sometimes realise that we did not have enough SNAs for all the children in the school with additional needs and talked about appealing the decision. My predecessor as SEN co-ordinator told me that to appeal would be to risk losing some SNA allocation. That fear remains, whether it is realistic or not. Principals do not want to appeal the SNA allocation, even though they require more SNAs in the school, in case their allocation is cut. That is an issue that needs to be addressed.

At the time, I knew well the special educational needs officer, SENO, assigned to the school. I had regular conversations with her. More important, she knew the students who were to come to the school as they transitioned from primary school to secondary school. She knew what their needs were, knew their parents' numbers and talked to them regularly. Parents could lift the phone and talk to her. I regularly meet parents and, when I ask if they have been talking to their SENOs, they ask who that is. They do not know who the SENO is. I do not know whether the role of the SENO has changed or there just are not enough. We know that the number of children with additional needs has increased. Perhaps there are not enough SENOs, but they do not know the children. I am hearing that not just from parents but also from teachers and principals. The SENO comes to the school on an irregular basis, stays for half an hour to an hour in a classroom and then judges whether a child needs SNA access. They do not know the children. If we are trusting principals to allocate SNAs fairly to the children on the basis of those with the most need, we need to start trusting them as to whether they need SNA access and how much they need without the SENO's input, if the SENO is not going to be more familiar with the school and the children in it with needs.

Every year, we are reacting to a crisis as students return to school. There are inevitably students with additional needs who do not have a school place or who are placed in an inappropriate setting. The Department is working in silos that are not working together. Indeed, a number of Departments are not working together. We need more teachers who have specialised knowledge of special education and that is an ongoing issue. I know the training is going to be improved. We need more SNAs. No school would tell you that it has enough SNA access. You can imagine the alarm when schools heard allocations were to be cut.

There is also an issue with building and the provision of additional space for special classes within schools. More and more schools are willing to open a special class, which is great, but some are already full to capacity space-wise and need additional modular rooms or new-build rooms. Decisions are being made to open classes in schools where there is physical space rather than where the need is. It ends up that students do not get their education in the local school with their siblings, or in the school nearest to them, but instead must travel a distance to a school that has the physical space. I do not know if that is an issue with the Department of public expenditure and reform, which may not be providing sufficient funds to open additional classes where they are needed.

We have a number of Acts that deal with equality. The Equality Act prevents discrimination on the basis of a number of criteria, including disability. The Education Act means we are supposed to provide education for every person in the State. The Education (Admission to Schools) Act means that a child cannot be refused access to a school based on a disability. The most important is probably the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs, EPSEN, Act. It was recently reviewed. The EPSEN Act provides that a child with SEN should be educated in an inclusive environment with children who do not have SEN unless it is not beneficial for the child or the other children. The Act defines SEN as "a restriction in the capacity of the person to participate in and benefit from education on account of an enduring physical, sensory, mental health or leaning disability". It is not just those with a physical disability who have a primary care need and require SNA access. The EPSEN Act is quite clear that all children need to get support so they can be educated in an inclusive environment. For too long we saw children who had a physical disability or an additional need of some sort segregated and put into an institution. We have moved a long way from that. We are moving towards an inclusive education system. However, we are going to reverse away from that and regress if we start to cut SNA access because it would mean that children are unable to access an education in the mainstream school, or in the special class in the mainstream school, because they will not have the supports to do so. They will end up refusing to go to school, which I hear from parents at times, because they do not get enough support. The school may put them on a reduced timetable for the day because it cannot cope.

The State signed up to two conventions, one on the rights of the child and one on the rights of persons with disability. Those conventions state clearly that children, regardless or needs or abilities, should receive an inclusive education appropriate to their needs.

The lack of early intervention for children in our schools is detrimental. We know that many children are not receiving the supports they need from an early age. As soon as a diagnosis is achieved or parents realise that their children are, for example, not speaking as much as they should be, they should be able to access speech and language therapy, occupational therapy or physiotherapy. That is not happening and it is having a detrimental effect on education in our schools. Teachers are not therapists. They are not able to provide the intervention that is required. Putting therapists into special schools and some other schools will help, but children should be getting that therapy in the community from an early age. That would make a huge difference to their ability to access inclusive education in the school nearest them.

Parents should not have to fight for everything. They have stood up again to fight against what they thought was an unfair act. They are concerned about what is going to happen down the road. I welcome the that there is going to be proper dialogue about how we move forward, but it must take in more than just SNA access.

It must take a holistic view of where we go with special education because the number of children who require additional support in our schools is increasing. The numbers are also increasing internationally. We are no different from the rest of the world, and we need to prepare for that.

I welcome the guests of Senator McCarthy - staff who work with AMC Removals - Kayleigh, Brenda, Esther and Bianca. I hope the Senator brought them for dinner and that they have a day off tomorrow. He usually does that for everybody he brings in

Just two weeks ago, the Minister sat in this Chamber for the Second Stage debate on a Bill I tabled that would ensure adequate leave for SNAs and teachers in our schools who are injured in the classroom. That Bill absolutely needs to be progressed to Committee Stage. I look forward to communicating with the Government on that.

The past number of weeks have been very turbulent and worrying for so many school communities across the country. SNAs, school staff, parents and, most vitally, children have been disrespected by Government parties in that time with regard to the way that they have been communicated with in terms of the yo-yoing on correspondence.

The pausing of plans to reduce the number of SNAs in our schools is simply not enough. That is not an explanation for parents and staff who do not know if these positions are going to exist a year from now. It was interesting that the Government was able to find the €19 million overnight. It is right that it should be there, but we should never allow funding to stand in the way of supporting our SNAs and ensuring that children get the supports they need in our classrooms.

The SNA circular is long outdated. Policy set out in 2014 is not reflective of the lived experiences in our schools in 2026. I was contacted by a number of teachers and SNAs in recent days. I will highlight two schools that contacted me. Stapolin Educate Together National School has been desperately trying to open two more autism classes to create 12 places in order to meet the needs of the school. The school says that there is a waiting list of over 60 in terms of mainstream classes. The Department and the NCSE are aware of this need, but the school is pleading for money to be allocated to allow these classes to be set up.

I have also been in communication with Scoil Bhríde in Crosshaven in Cork, which has been trying to open a special class. While the school sees the neighbouring school opening its second class, it is still waiting on its first. The project is stuck at stage 2b. In the email to me, the school asked whether it is to be or not to be. It needs an answer in relation to that. It expressed its concern about children going on to second level being able to access special classes when they have spent eight years in primary school without any access to special classes at such a fundamental time in their development. That needs to be addressed.

SNAs are not optional extras or nice to have. It sometimes feels like this Government is treating them as an afterthought. In the context of my contribution, I am going to rely heavily on the words of those who have seen at first hand the realities of providing care for children with special needs. I specifically thank my colleagues councillors Lesley Byrne, Jesslyn Henry and Samantha O'Flanagan for their activism in this area.

When the Government thinks of cutting SNAs from specific schools without recognising the full scope of the supports they provide, it is not simply adjusting numbers on a spreadsheet. It is removing children's access to safety, dignity and their chance to fully participate in school life. Special education is not a niche consideration for a handful of children and their families. It is a whole-school issue and a community-wide issue. Education for children with additional needs is not a bonus or good luck, and it should not depend on one's eircode. We should be cherishing all the children of the nation equally. The reality is, however, that at the moment we do not.

If this Government is serious about inclusion, it needs to get serious about resourcing it properly. The Government is suffering from inclusion delusion if it thinks that SNA reductions in specific schools is going to do anything other than block children from an education they have every entitlement to. While I recognise that there is a pause, it was utterly ridiculous that we had weeks of concern and fear among parents, teachers, SNAs and school communities. This should never have happened in the first place. Parents are desperate. They are paying in order that their children will have access to, frankly, the most basic educational supports. They also fear that their children will fall further behind. They want their children to have access to education, but they also want them to feel safe and happy going to school every day. We have heard from journalist Emma Ward that the care she got during her school days made the difference between a child who was isolated and left behind to a child who was shown care and patience and was supported to thrive. The Government announced threats to hollow out a system that is already so poorly resourced. That was a slap in the face to parents and educators who are already at their wits' end.

We need an educational model that is child centred. Our schools should be designed around the needs of children and not the other way round. The NCSE Relate document was published last year. It is the gold standard in the area of special education, and SNAs love it. Serious resources will be required in respect of it, but the Government is clearly not willing to provide that, which is a disgrace. The 2014 SNA circular reinforces ableist language and a hierarchy of needs that ignores the complexity of each child's unique experiences. One child may need help to go to the toilet while another may struggle with emotional regulation. Both needs are primary needs when it comes to the child involved feeling safe and being able to participate fully in school life. Secondary needs are also crucial.

This is why the Social Democrats are seeking a front-loading of the assignment of SNAs to schools. We would ensure that schoolchildren with additional needs have the same access to school places as any other children and we would recognise the unique needs of every child and prioritise that child in reaching his or her full potential. When I visited Newtown Dunleckney Mixed National School in County Carlow a few weeks ago during the height of the concern around the reduction in SNA numbers - the school had been sent a letter in respect of that matter - the principal shared with me the desperation that educational professionals are feeling every day. They have to go against their values time and again by saying to parents "No. I'm so sorry. We don't have the resources. We can't support you fully in the way that your child deserves." We cannot have the scandal that we had over the past few weeks happen again next year or the year after. We need to fix the system, and we need to fix it now.

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit. Rinne an Rialtas dearmad mór le ceist na SNAs. Tá sé tar éis cur isteach ar thuismitheoirí, múinteoirí agus na SNAs féin. To say that the Government handled the SNA review badly could possibly be the understatement of the year. With access to advisers and civil servants, it is hard to comprehend that this matter was allowed to rumble on to the point of protests all around the country and significant upset among teaching staff, SNAs, principals and parents. I accept the statement made by the Minister earlier.

While I welcome the statement and the review, I will highlight one of the many examples where anomalies exist and where policies sometimes do not meet the needs of children, families and schools. I say this, recognising the significant increase in the number of SNA posts funded by the Government and that which preceded it in recent years. Stoneyford National School is a lovely rural school nestled in the heart of the countryside in County Kilkenny. Its principal, Kieran Byrne, and staff teach around 140 pupils. Mr. Byrne did something really important for children with additional needs in the school by establishing an ASD unit, which has six pupils and is full, and a class for those with moderate learning disabilities. One of the main purposes of the moderate general learning disability, MGLD, class is integration into the mainstream but because of inadequate SNA resources with 0.5 SNAs given at the start and a requirement for all additional SNAs to be applied for, integration is not possible and the children are missing out. As per Government guidelines and legislation, the school requested an urgent review to increase SNA resources. It spent one month documenting this and could not apply until November. It waited a further two months until February for a reply from the NCSE only to be told that because of new Government legislation, the 0.5 SNA allocation was to be taken from the mainstream, leaving those children with no support, and moved to the moderate class, which left both the mainstream and the MGLD class under-resourced. The school now has to enter into an appeal process to try to get this overturned in line with the Government's U-turn on policy.

As far as I am aware, Stoneyford National School is one of about 30 schools that have set up MGLD units. It is innovative and ensures that mainstreaming can happen in a seamless way. In order to respond to the needs of the school, the board of management agreed to fund a part-time SNA to ensure that the school is resourced. This is still not enough, however. The Government's review has taken two months. One of the parents at the school spoke to the Minister of State last December because her daughter has Down's syndrome and is in the moderate needs learning class. All this is taking something precious away from the school, the parents and, especially, the children, which is time.

In primary education, every day is precious, even more precious for a child with additional needs. It is now March, the school year will finish in a few weeks and we are still further from a resolution, a decision and an outcome. I commend Kieran, his teaching staff and the board of management of Stoneyford National School on showing such innovation to support their pupils and parents. It should be rewarded by the State, not penalised. Will the Minister of State commit to looking at the case of this school which has gone above and beyond to ensure full integration and inclusion in the school community? Surely this is what we all want to achieve: a society where there is no us and them and where it is just us, all of us le chéile.

Unfortunately, I cannot stay for the Minister of State's response because I am needed at the committee on the Traveller community. However, I hope he can respond to this specifically. I really would appreciate it as it is hugely important for the school community.

Senator Black and Senator Flynn are sharing time. Is that agreed? Agreed.

I thank the Acting Chairperson. The Minister of State is welcome to the Chamber. I am grateful for the opportunity to speak on the topic of SNAs. What we are talking about is not policy or procedure but real children in real classrooms who depend on real people to help them to access their education and their futures. Special needs assistants are not a luxury and, as my colleague just said, they are not an optional extra that schools are fortunate to have. They are fundamental, essential and, in the truest sense of the word, irreplaceable members of our school communities. SNAs are advocates and champions for children who may not yet have the words or the means to advocate for themselves. Every day in schools throughout this island they walk through those doors and they make it possible for children with additional needs to participate, to learn and to belong. That is vital. It is everything. My concern is that the trust that SNAs, families and schools placed in this State has been deeply damaged. The decisions and actions taken by the Government and its agencies have left people feeling unheard, undervalued and genuinely worried about what comes next. Rebuilding that trust will not happen overnight. It will require consistent, sustained and meaningful engagement and genuine partnership with stakeholders.

I want to be clear about what is at stake if we get this wrong. Reducing or removing SNA support is not a neutral administrative decision. It has huge consequences that ripple outwards for children and teachers. We will feel these consequences, and when we do, we will wish we had acted differently. Providing adequate SNA support is, as others have said, a constitutional obligation. Every child in the State has the right to an appropriate education. It is enshrined in our Constitution and it falls to the State to honour that right in full, not in part, and not when convenient but always. When we fail to meet the needs of our most vulnerable children, we are not just failing those children and their families. We are failing ourselves as a society. We are failing the very values we claim to hold. How we treat those who are most in need is the true measure of who we are.

I want to speak for a moment on the nature of the SNA role. Sometimes it can be misunderstood. There has been discussion about redeployment and comparisons drawn with teachers. However, these roles are fundamentally different in one critical respect. Teachers obviously deliver a curriculum. The difference is that SNAs build real relationships. It is the relationships, trust, understanding and the bond formed between an SNA and a child that makes everything else possible. Social and emotional regulation, which is the foundation of a child's ability to engage and learn, does not happen in a vacuum. It happens within that relationship. Take away that relationship and you take away the scaffolding that holds that child's school experience together. Any policy around redeployment must recognise this with care, sensitivity and nuance. This is not a numbers exercise. It really is about human connection.

The Government must learn from what has gone wrong. Every misstep carries a lesson. This is a moment, a genuine opportunity to step back, listen and reset. I believe we have the capacity to do that now. What we need is not tinkering at the edges but fundamental reimagining of how we educate children and how we treat people with disabilities. We need to move with real commitment towards a model of inclusive education, one where no child is left behind, no child is sidelined and where our schools reflect the full, rich diversity of our society. That means starting from first principles, acknowledging the constitutional right of every child to an appropriate education and then building a properly resourced, properly supported and properly staffed system that delivers on that right. It means recognising that SNAs are not peripheral to the system; they are central to it. We must be honest about the scale of what is required and bring humanity back into our classrooms and into our policies. We owe it to children with additional needs, to people with disabilities and to their families to build an education system that is truly inclusive, where every child has the support needed to participate, learn and thrive.

I am just going to follow on from Senator Black. I was privileged to serve on the Committee on Disability Matters with the Minister of State as the Chairperson. I remember his passion for equality in education, especially for people with additional needs. I would welcome a review of the SNAs. Language is really important and when we talk about special education, what kind of stigma is that? I would love to look at changing the name of SNAs. It is something the education committee is currently looking at. We will talk to the SNAs themselves but that is important. A review of SNAs is critical, but not a review to cut SNAs from schools. If anything, we need more SNAs. SNAs make the difference in schools between inclusion and isolation for many children.

I am a qualified SNA. I remember talking about this at the Committee on Disability Matters. An SNA is seen as someone who has done a six-week course and that is it. They go into the classroom and support a child. Yesterday, I went into Ballyfermot College, which I graduated from with that qualification. We undermine SNAs whereas we should recognise the SNA as a profession. We should value the children that SNAs work with. One of my wee girls is in a small rural school. I have dyslexia so I am trying my best to get her assessed for that. She gets extra support from one of the teachers. We have come a long way in Irish society when it comes to children with additional needs. As far as I know she does not have additional needs, thank God. I am very lucky. SNAs deliver care, education and, in some cases, a safe space for children with additional needs.

The Minister of State has responsibility for disabilities. We have a good person who is willing to work with SNAs. I know that from being on the Committee on Disability Matters with him. It is important that we look at a review of SNAs and speak to the workers on the ground speak and to the parents. As Senator Black rightly said, it is about better outcomes. I know better than many people in this Chamber that while we all have access to education, being successful within the education system is a horse of a different colour. You need those supports to be able to come out the other side of it with a qualification.

I worked in St. Dominic's Secondary School in Ballyfermot for nearly two years. I remember the young woman I worked with who did not have additional needs but she did have challenging behaviour. It was important for me to be able to work with her on a one-to-one basis as she was having big problems at home. It is important that we are able to help support young people in our education system to not just access education, but to be successful within our education system.

The Minister of State has seven minutes. I am conscious of time, so please stick to the time allocation.

Okay. Is it normal to get compliments from across the floor from the Opposition?

It is rare.

I thank everyone here and in Dáil Éireann for their contributions over the last number of weeks. I compliment all Members on all sides for their interest in, and commitment to, special education. I would also like to compliment many of the councillors across the country who have contacted me directly. It heartens me that, as public representatives from all parties and none, we have such an understanding of special education and of what is needed and what is right. It is fair to say that this might not be universal across the country. I would have concerns about some attitudes that are out there but I thank Members of Dáil Éireann and Seanad Éireann and members of local authorities for their engagement and the sincerity with which they have contacted us.

It is not something I have addressed before in the Houses of the Oireachtas, but it is normal for people to mention when special needs education has a direct impact on their families, that is, my family. If Senators indulge me for a moment, I am the proud parent of an 11-year-old non-verbal son, and he goes to school because of an SNA. Please bear with me for a second. Each afternoon when we get a text to say what type of day he has had in school, it encourages us for the rest of the day. For this reason, I fully understand the challenges being faced by many families right across the country. The work being done by SNAs the length and breadth of the country is second to none. I have visited over 120 schools in the 12 months since my appointment. The first thing I do when I meet SNAs is tell them that it is on their backs that we have built special education. I am honoured to have been a Member of the Houses of the Oireachtas for almost 29 years. I remember when I started first that it was people on community employment, CE, schemes who were providing special education needs within the education system. I have seen the advancement of it. I know that some people whom I deal with on a daily basis were at the very core of that when it was starting, in terms of their engagement with unions and others on the advancement of special education and the many challenges that were faced over the last 20 or so years.

If Senators indulge me further, St. Joseph's school in Liscarroll is where Paddy goes to school. It is one of the brilliant schools that provides for special education requirements and the special needs assistants and the entire teaching community there are second to none. Their engagement is constant, whether at the school gate or when I meet them in clinics, socially or whatever. They are constantly looking for how they can do more for their communities and for the children, and that applies the length and the breadth of the country. Senator Noonan mentioned a school in his community that I was working with in relation to it. It is important that we acknowledge the school leadership, teachers, SNAs and the entire school communities for what they are doing for special education the length and breadth of the country. The last couple of weeks have been extremely difficult for SNAs, families and school communities.

When I was appointed last year, I believed that destiny had brought me to this because I had such an in-depth knowledge of the system. I was proud to serve with Senators Tully and Flynn on the disability committee during the term of the previous Dáil and Seanad. They were second to none in relation to the advancement that we made at that time. I believe that I have a unique insight into it, and it would be lessening the job I have if I did not bring every ounce of energy that I have to it to make sure that we have a better education system.

I listened to the debate while the Minister, Deputy Naughton, was here and since I joined the debate I have listened to the contributions of all Members, as I did in Dáil Éireann during the Private Members' time and the statements. Members outlined the concerns of families who had corresponded with them. Each year, we have an issue with special education. This year, we wanted to bring forward the date from 1 February to 1 October so that we could plan better. We have to do so to ensure that children with additional needs and their families and guardians are treated in the same way and that they are given certainty. We have a huge need right across the country. Actually, it is not just in Ireland, but right across the OECD countries that we have sight of. I shudder to think about what is happening in the undeveloped countries because of the challenges that exist. If there are things that keep me awake at night, it is that in terms of the entire holistic education.

Over my time as a public representative, I have seen the outcomes for children where they get the best possible education. Sometimes, unfortunately, we have put that together piecemeal in terms of how we roll out the policy, but we have, by and large, put a huge amount of money into it.

I know that Members of the Houses work with the NCSE and the Department in a professional way. There are three fundamental blocks that we have to bring. Members spoke about building trust. I think we can do so. From the engagement the Minister and I have had over the last number of weeks, we are serious about making sure that what happened recently will never happen again and that we build trust within the SNA community.

We have the workforce development plan, the redeployment and the circular. These are the three key pieces we need to get right and we have to make sure that we do that in an holistic way so that people have confidence in it and understand the challenges that exist. Going back about 20 or 25 years when the SNAs were brought into the schools, Ireland was one of the first countries in Europe to advance that policy. Others have done so since, but we have to make sure that our policies are correct and implemented properly.

I thank the Senators for their indulgence and I look forward to working with Members across the Houses to ensure that we can have the education system that all of our citizens deserve.