Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 2 Apr 2025

Vol. 1065 No. 3

Ceisteanna ó na Comhaltaí Eile - Other Members’ Questions

Deputy Carol Nolan

I wish to raise an issue that is of considerable importance not only to my constituency of Offaly, but to many areas nationally that have witnessed a dramatic increase in the level of demand. I refer to special education schools and the enormous pressure they are under every single day to keep the doors open, retain staff and deliver urgent therapeutic interventions to all pupils in their care.

Last November, there was major disappointment and anger at the news that special schools in Laois and Offaly had yet again been excluded from participation in the then Government's pilot programme for enhanced school therapy supports. Offaly School of Special Education in Tullamore, St. Francis School in Portlaoise and Kolbe Special School in Portlaoise were also denied entry to the pilot programme in August, when phase 1 of the initiative was announced.

Today, I wish to highlight specifically the challenges faced by Offaly School of Special Education. I visited the school some months ago and it is a fantastic school. I commend the principal and all the teachers and hard-working SNAs who do so much to help the students. What I witnessed was very impressive and the care for all students was to be noted.

This year, Offaly School of Special Education had 18 applications for the one space it was capable of offering. Next year, it will still have just one vacancy. The school was promised two in-school therapists - an occupational therapist and a speech and language therapist - but, to date, the HSE has been unable to fill those positions despite many months of trying. The difficulties in securing additional SNAs from the NCSE are also proving to be exceptionally cumbersome. I am constantly informed that not only is the paperwork onerous, but there is a cap placed on the number of SNAs any special school can have. It really should be based on need. That would make far more sense than a cap. How is this reasonable and why is this criterion being applied to special schools when there is a need and there is justification for hiring more SNAs?

A planning application for a new school will go to the county council by the middle of this month, but there is an urgent need to guarantee that the school is built on time and be well equipped. The proposed completion date for the new school is the end of 2027. It is imperative that this happens.

Offaly School of Special Education is not asking for miracles, but it is asking for adequate staff support, an increase in enhanced therapeutic resources and a recognition that the current system is just not fit for purpose. Will the Taoiseach commit to ensuring that the school receives whatever help it needs to keep its doors open?

The Taoiseach

I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. She had been raising the issue for quite some time previously on the floor of the House in respect of special needs education more generally, but here she is specifically referencing Offaly School of Special Education. She referred to the most recent pilot scheme, which was announced last summer, in respect of 11 special schools across the country.

As I said earlier in reply to questions on special education, the overall objective of the Government is to ensure that every parent will know well in advance that there is a school place for his or her child for the following September. I also outlined the exponential growth in the number of SNAs and special teachers. That number will continue to grow. It has grown and will grow this year. There is no specific cap on any school. The Deputy is correct that allocation should be on the basis of need, but there is a general guideline and framework by which the NCSE works.

The pilot scheme has not worked. It was initiated with a view to having an impact from September of the 2024-25 school year. Ideally, the HSE was to have provided therapists for approximately 11 special schools to see how it would work. That has happened in some schools but has not happened in others. What we have had is an alignment of therapists with schools but they are not actually in situ working in the schools.

I convened a meeting of the Cabinet subcommittee on disability and a decision has been taken to set up a national therapy education programme. We will be recruiting and employing, through the NCSE, therapists to work in the 124 special schools across the country. We have to do that on a phased basis but we want to have it in place by next September or commencing next September. The Minister for Education, Deputy McEntee, and the Minister of State for special education, Deputy Michael Moynihan, are working up proposals to bring back to the Government as to how the scheme will work, with a view to having it commence in September of this year for the 2025-26 school year.

I am of the view, and have been for quite some time, that we need multidisciplinary teams, starting in special schools. We were frustrated over the past two years in getting that over the line. The pilot was a response to that but the pilot has not worked. I made it clear during the general election that I wanted this to happen. I made it clear that it had to go into the programme for Government. I have made it clear to all officials in all departments in the HSE that this is going to happen. It is a Government commitment and we are going do it. We will evaluate over time in terms of further expansion.

Deputy Carol Nolan

I thank the Taoiseach for his response. The pilot scheme has failed. We are certainly all in agreement on that. However, I am concerned about the backlog of children waiting for in-school therapists. I acknowledge that a disability forum will be set up, which is progress in the right direction, but there is a need and a vacuum now. Offaly School of Special Education has done its level best in working to get the in-school therapists in place but that still has not happened. Is it possible that private therapists could be hired in the interim until the disability forum is working properly? This is an emergency situation.

It is correct that the number of SNAs across the country has increased, but there are particularly acute needs in special schools. These schools feel that the current framework is restrictive. Could more flexibility be given in terms of the NCSE framework to allow schools more latitude to hire SNAs?

The Taoiseach

I acknowledge there is a vacuum. We need a structured approach as a country between health and education. We are all aware that the CDNT workforce has grown. There have been issues with recruitment but progress is being made. We want to do this in a way that does not undermine capacity within the health service. We want to recruit and retain more therapists overall in the public service. We have to get the structure right first. The danger is that we could create an alternative system that would ultimately undermine our capacities in the public service. The situation is not ideal. I fully accept there is a vacuum at the moment . In a very few places in the country, the private option has been utilised. The Minister, Deputy Lawless, has been asked to substantially increase the number of therapists in our schools. We also want to work with CORU to recruit more therapists from overseas. We recruit many professionals from overseas but there seems to be an issue with getting therapists' qualifications recognised here. That is an issue we will pursue.