Work on the establishment of a National Council for Special Education is at an advanced stage and it is my intention to bring this body into being by ministerial order under the terms of the Education Act, 1998. I have also indicated my intention to restore to the legislative process the Education for Persons with Disabilities Bill, 2002. This I will do in the autumn following the continuation of consultation with interested parties throughout the summer. This legislation will, when enacted, establish unequivocally that the special education needs of children must be met as a matter of legal right. The establishment of the National Council for Special Education will be central to translating these rights into reality on the ground.
This council will have two broad functions. First, it will be responsible for the provision of a range of educational services at local and national level for children with special needs. In particular, the new council will have the capacity to co-ordinate special needs education provision at local level and arrange for the delivery of agreed educational services. This will be achieved through the employment of a network of special needs organisers who will act as a single point of contact for the parent of a special needs child with the clear and specific objective of delivering for that child those educational services to which he or she is entitled. Second, the council will be responsible for carrying out research and providing expert advice to my Department in relation to special education issues. The council will also be responsible for putting in place an independent appeals mechanism open to parents unhappy with the educational provision proposed for their child.