I thank you, Sir, for allowing me to raise this matter tonight. I took the unusual step today of faxing to the Minister's office the details of this case and he will be aware of the facts. The child in question is mentally handicapped but also, most unusually, suffers from epilepsy which is uncontrolled. The girl has been assessed and has attended a number of schools. She is now 14 years of age. Unfortunately, she cannot be kept at school due to the number of attacks she gets. The school have neither the facilities nor the personnel to deal with her health situation and she is now permanently at home.
I received representations about this case. I also received a letter from the mother of the child and I think one paragraph of the letter sums up the cruel predicament the parents find themselves in. I quote from the mother's letter:
Most importantly of all is that we just cannot cope at home on a full-time basis. I am emotionally and physically drained as our daughter needs full-time supervision day and night. Someone needs to be in the same room as her all the time because of the unpredicatability of her attacks. I am totally confined to the house at all times. I cannot even go for a walk with her or to the shops in case she has an attack on the way and I would not be able to cope on the side of the road. My husband is out at work all day and my other children are in college. They are very supportive but they have to lead their own lives.
The mother goes on to describe the situation she finds herself in and finishes by saying, "we really are near despair". I can understand the situation the parents find themselves in trying to cope. I raised this matter to try to get the Minister's support in obtaining a residential school placing from Monday to Friday for this child so that the parents will have both the physical and emotional energy at the weekend to help this child. That is a reasonable request. The Minister has all the details as to the number of schools and places where the child has tried to find placement. without success. I raise the matter tonight in the hope that the Minister will be able to respond favourably.