2026-02-25

Over the course of a two-hour debate last night, I listened carefully to what colleagues had to say about the vital role played by special needs assistants, SNAs, in the lives of children and young people with special educational needs. Today, protests involving parents, teachers, SNAs and members of school communities will take place across the country. I know that people are angry and frustrated at what is being portrayed as the removal of essential supports for young people. That is why I want to restate this Government’s position. We are fully committed to supporting children with special educational needs and we will implement our programme for Government commitments to deliver on this objective. No cuts are or will be proposed to the provision of SNA support to children and young people across our school system. As a teacher, I know the value of our SNAs, teachers and special education teachers. I know that children thrive in school thanks to the supports provided by those dedicated and hard-working school staff. I know how vital these dedicated staff are in helping young people gain independence and confidence in the classroom and in their studies. As a teacher, I could not stand over changes to special education services, particularly at a time when we know the needs are profound and when Government has repeatedly stated that improving the lives of people with a disability or a special educational requirement is a priority. That is why Government this week agreed a number of measures that will give clarity to schools, parents, young people and SNAs. These measures are that: 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. Working alongside almost 22,000 special education teachers, this September will see almost 25,000 SNAs in our schools playing a key role in supporting children and young people with care needs. Working hand in hand with teachers, SNAs are paramount in helping children to achieve. That is why I fully understand why, over the last week, we have heard genuine concern and worry from SNAs, schools and parents about how they and their loved ones might be affected by any changes to school allocations. However, we have also heard a lot of misinformation about how the Government is supposedly cutting supports, undermining SNAs and failing to invest in our education system. It is important to bring clarity to these issues. This Government has nothing but 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. It would be useful to outline the resources that have been invested in special education over the past number of years. This year, we will invest more than €3 billion to support children. Funding has never been higher and now represents almost a quarter of the entire education budget. Our ambition is that the vast majority of children will be educated in mainstream schools alongside their siblings and peers, with supports, including special education teachers and SNAs, where required. We also know that some children need additional help, which is why we now have more than 3,700 special classes in our schools across the country, compared with 1,800 just five years ago. This will increase again in September to over 4,000 special classes. The Government also appreciates that some children have more complex needs and require more intensive supports. That is why we now have 129 NCSE-supported special schools in this country, compared to 114 five years ago. Recognising the increased need we have seen in this country in recent years, more than 30,000 children are in specialist school settings today, compared with 18,000 just five years ago. That reflects the actions of a Government that cares about our children and young people with additional educational needs. We are also mindful that more nuanced and specialist supports are needed. The summer programme, previously known as July provision, has gone from strength to strength in recent years. We now have funding of €62 million to ensure that as many schools as possible can take part in the programme. The number of children participating in the programme grew from 13,000 in 2019 to more than 70,000 last year. A real game-changer is the new education therapy service, which was a commitment in the programme for Government that is now being realised. Earlier this month, I was pleased to announce details of the roll-out, with the first speech and language therapists and occupational therapists due to begin work in 45 special schools on a phased basis from April. I am pleased to inform the House that the initial recruitment campaign for 90 therapists is now closed, with interviews currently under way. There was a very good response with almost 200 candidates applying for posts, and interviews will be concluded early next month with panels formed and jobs offered. Further roll out of the service will occur on a phased basis. It is envisaged that all special schools will have access in the 2026-2027 school year. This service will be expanded over time to include special and mainstream classes. Our ambition around special education is set out in the programme for Government, which includes 20 separate actions aimed at supporting children. I am committed to delivering all of them. I also want to put to bed the suggestion that the Government was proposing to make hundreds of SNAs redundant, a measure that would fly in the face of what we are trying to achieve. To be clear: 23,179 SNAs were allocated to schools for the 2025-2026 school year. Last year, 21,579 SNAs were allocated. Next September, the allocation will rise again to 24,896. The numbers do not lie. We are not cutting SNAs. It is worth noting that budget 2026 provided that an additional 1,700 SNAs would join the education system in the coming September. By way of comparison, Sinn Féin's general election manifesto committed to providing an average of 1,000 SNAs per year, the Labour Party sought 1,200 in this year's budget and the Social Democrats sought 1,000. The Government is exceeding all these targets. Our decision this week adds another 500 SNAs to the system for 2026. Managing these valuable SNAs is crucially important to ensure that resources are allocated to schools with the highest level of need. It is therefore important that I speak to the vital role played by the National Council for Special Education, NCSE. 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. This includes the allocation of SNA support to schools. I fully support the NCSE in its work. To allay any concerns people may have, it is important to give some context on how NCSE reviews take place. Special educational needs organisers, SENOs, are from various professional backgrounds and include occupational therapists, speech and language therapists, school principals, special education teachers, early intervention specialists, SNAs and mainstream class teachers. They know our education system. Among their other duties, SENOs also undertake school reviews, which have been a feature of our system for many years. In the 2024-2025 school year, around 1,400 reviews were conducted. In the current school year, some 1,000 reviews were conducted. Schools are notified of reviews in advance, and the NCSE undertakes a robust process to ensure they are based on the care needs of an individual school because - as Members of the House are aware - SNAs are allocated to schools, not individual children. The NCSE is not charged with cutting resources. It appreciates the complexities of young people and school life and deploys leniency in its outcomes, working to retain supports available to children. Among the information the NCSE requires to conduct a review are student support files for each young person. These files are compiled by the teacher and are an individualised learning plan that documents the young person's strengths, interests and needs, as well as the priority learning needs that have been agreed - with teachers, parents and the young person - as the basis for targets and interventions. The targets can include socio-emotional targets, behavioural targets and language targets as well as learning targets. The progress young people make in reaching their targets should be monitored and reviewed regularly, with all developments documented in the student support plan. The information contained is important not just to help assess progress or particular challenges that might arise - and the interventions put in place to assist the young person concerned - but also to help determine the level of need across the whole school. Last November, my Department's inspectorate published a report on the use of the student support files. It found that in a small percentage of schools, no student support files were in place and in another small number of schools, no learning needs for the current or previous school year were recorded. While mindful of the pressures placed on our schools, it does not serve children well if these files are not updated and used to measure progress, particularly when they play such an important role in determining the provision of supports. I will work with my Department to assist schools on this matter and provide any supports required. The NCSE is mindful that parents know what is best for their child, which is why SENOs ask that parents complete a questionnaire outlining the care needs of their child to help inform their reviews. Parents who may have a difficulty in completing this questionnaire are provided with contact details for the SENO tasked with completing the school review, so their child's needs can be documented. This information from parents and guardians is vitally important to help young people successfully progress in their journey through school. To ensure that a full picture is captured, the review process also includes consultation with staff in the school, including class teachers, special education teachers, SNAs and principals. Only when all this information is gathered can a robust assessment be made. As I previously said, the NCSE works to retain supports for children but circumstances can and do arise where the same level of SNA support is no longer required - such as where a student or students with highly significant care needs leave the school. There is also the ideal scenario where children gain more independence and more confidence in their learning and they no longer require the same level of support. These outcomes are what we all want, and what our system is designed to achieve. These are the measures of success for young people. I reject the assertion that the NCSE operates, as one Member of this House has claimed, as an "unaccountable gatekeeper". Checks and balances are in place to ensure the review process is robust and stands up to scrutiny. Once a SENO has finished a school review, a national panel within the NCSE reviews the decision to ensure consistency and that care needs are being captured. If a school is not satisfied with the review, it can appeal. This appeal is adjudicated by NCSE staff who were not involved in the original review. If the school is still not satisfied, it can request a further appeal from an independent panel, members of which are drawn from education stakeholder groups. As previously stated, the Government has agreed that three key documents must be finalised and published to provide additional clarity to our system of reviews. The first is the SNA redeployment scheme, which has long been called for by SNAs and trade unions. This will provide a method by which SNAs can be redeployed around the school system to ensure we have the right resources in the right place. This scheme is near finalisation and was developed following significant stakeholder engagement to ensure it works for SNAs and schools. The second document to be finalised is a review of a 2014 circular outlining the role of the SNA. This work will be advanced and completed as a priority. The third document is the SNA workforce development plan, which was developed following extensive discussion and engagement with SNAs and trade unions. Development of the plan involved 55 meetings across five working groups - each of which included two trade union representatives, one of whom was an SNA. There were also bilateral meetings with trade unions, and meetings with a dedicated SNA stakeholder group. Last night, the Opposition urged the Government to "professionalise" the work of SNAs. We are already doing this. The SNA workforce development plan, which is near completion, has been co-designed with SNAs. They were specifically included in the working groups to ensure the plan captures and reflects their professional experience. After these three documents are published, the NCSE will commence reviews of supports provided to schools for the 2027-2028 academic year, which will uphold the integrity of the process. Any school that believes it needs more support can request assistance from the NCSE, which can help with the effective deployment of SNA resources. Schools can also request a review of their allocation if care needs change at any point during the school year. I understand the anger and upset that arose this week, but I do not, as some have claimed, blame the NCSE for this situation. The NCSE did the work it is mandated to do. I have full confidence in the NCSE. It fulfilled its role to ensure that special education resources are allocated to the schools with the greatest need. I regret to say that some SENOs and staff have been subject to unwarranted abuse over recent weeks. This is completely unjustified. NCSE staff are doing the job they are mandated to do. Whatever anger people may have towards the Government, there is no justification for taking that anger out on dedicated, honourable and diligent professionals, and I regret that this has happened. I fully accept that the process and outcomes were not properly communicated. That is the fault of Government. I will work to ensure this does not happen again. I will address a point made by Sinn Féin last night when it made the charge that SNAs had been "disrespected" by the Government. Just last week in Northern Ireland, teaching assistants - who obviously fulfil a different role from SNAs but which are nonetheless an extremely important support for many children - told the BBC they were "undervalued", in part because they are only paid during term time. For clarity, full-time SNAs here are paid from 1 September to 31 August, the full school year, reflecting the importance we attach to their role. Juliana Harkin, a classroom assistant for ten years, told the BBC her role was "undervalued" and that the “powers that be" do not realise that classroom assistants go "above and beyond". For information, the "powers that be" in Northern Ireland are the Government of which Sinn Féin is a member. Last night, that party claimed in this House: "We stand with every child with additional needs". In Northern Ireland it is a different story. There, it refuses to pay classroom assistants for the full school year and, as Ms Harkin said, does not understand their role. This Government is committed to an education system where every child and young person feels and is valued, and is actively supported and nurtured to reach their full potential. We accept, however, that the system is not working as well as it could. We know that children do not want to feel different from their peers, and we need to talk about children going to school, rather than going to a special class or special school. We need to move away from using the term "special" education. Instead, we must strive to develop an education system which supports students of all abilities without attaching a label. I was struck by a radio interview yesterday with Derval McDonagh from Inclusion Ireland. She made the point that what is needed was a much deeper and wider look at our education system to help shape a fully inclusive model. I completely agree, and work is progressing in this regard. Just last June, my Department published a review of the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs, EPSEN, Act. The review garnered more than 28,000 responses, and sets out 51 recommendations to help create an education system that is inclusive, equitable and fit for purpose for children and young people of all abilities. Separately, my Department will shortly complete a piece of work with Finland which will help inform the development of an inclusive education system, drawing on best practice internationally. There is much work to do, and this work will be informed by consultation, meaningful engagement and co-design with education stakeholders, families and young people. I will be guided by the central premise and ambition that this Government is fully committed to supporting children of all abilities to attend school in their community and that their journey through the education system will be positive, nurturing and help them to achieve their ambitions, whatever they may be. I assure the House, the people protesting around the country, families, school communities and young people that this Government is listening. We are committed to doing the right thing and ensuring that supports are provided to those who need them.

I welcome the opportunity to contribute to these statements. I want to correct the record of the Dáil. The Minister said that, by comparison, Sinn Féin's general election manifesto committed to providing an average of 1,000 SNAs per year. I think she was talking about special education teachers, not SNAs. When it comes to SNAs, the Minister has not provided 1,000 special education teachers-----

There are 1,700.

Sinn Féin is setting the yardstick in relation to that. When it comes to special needs assistants, there were 1,700 last year. Sinn Féin provided for 1,900. How many were there this year? There were 1,700 again this year. Sinn Féin provided for 1,850. Over the last couple of years, had Sinn Féin been in Government, we would have had hundreds more special needs assistants. I would like to correct the record of the Dáil in relation to that. Last night, the Dáil sent a unified and powerful message. We unanimously agreed on the need for urgent action to protect SNA provision and, more important, to protect the children who depend on it. We laid out a clear motion. The Minister and Minister of State agreed to it. In agreeing to that motion, the Government agreed to abandon the disastrous 2025-26 review and reverse the cuts that have caused cruel uncertainty for families and the SNAs who dedicate their lives to supporting some of our most vulnerable children. There is one part of the motion that I want to focus on today because it goes to the heart of the dysfunction that we have seen. It called on the Government to "guarantee that no future changes to SNA provision will be made without meaningful, constructive, and transparent engagement with schools, parents, and SNAs themselves, ensuring their voices and expertise are central to decision-making". For far too long, decisions about our children's care have been made behind closed doors. A point was made that the NCSE is being unaccountable gatekeepers. That is not a criticism of the NCSE; it is a criticism of the Minister and her predecessors. She has given the NCSE and the SENOs an impossible job. She has tied their hands. That is the issue that has to be resolved here. As was said so many times yesterday, we must trust schools. The point was made yesterday that the Minister trusts principals to allocate SNA resources within their schools but she does not trust them to tell her how many SNAs they need. That is the conundrum and contradiction in all of this. There needs to be a change of path. In all of her contributions, the Minister has not, for one second, shown humility and I have not heard a recognition of the hurt and pain this has caused. Nor have I heard that there will be a step change in the approach to all of this. There has been real concern about the Government's response to the 2014 circular. It is out of date and needs to be completely overhauled. We have just come from a meeting of the education committee that discussed this precise topic. What did we hear from the Taoiseach yesterday? He said we have to be very careful about expanding the role of SNAs and we have to think about it long and hard. I have thought about it long and hard, as have SNAs and everybody working with children with disabilities. They live with it every single day and they know the 2014 circular must be overhauled. We need to recognise the roles that SNAs play and resource them and allocate them on that basis.

Yesterday, the Taoiseach appeared incredulous, even dismissive, at the suggestion from my party leader, Deputy Mary Lou McDonald, that we need a new departure in special education. He might not be so shocked if he actually listened to those on the ground, the parents fighting for their children, the SNAs working well beyond their contracts and the schools trying to hold the system together. The central issue here is not the redeployment scheme, no matter how often Ministers repeat it. The real issue is that the criteria determining who qualifies for support are outdated and no longer reflect the evolving needs of children in our classrooms. I welcome the Minister's confirmation that no further reviews will be undertaken until the workforce development plan and updated circular are published, but this is only the first step. It should have happened a long time ago, certainly before any NCSE review letters went out to schools. The Department's review of the EPSEN Act, published last summer, stated that the workforce development plan would be delivered by September 2025. Its first pillar explicitly recognises the evolving role of the SNA. Had that role been properly expanded and recognised in policy last September, we might not be in this mess today. Instead, a State-wide review was initiated using criteria the Government itself had already tactically acknowledged were outdated. This is a serious oversight. It raises serious questions about accountability and the persistent buck-passing between the Department and the NCSE. We also need a candid discussion of how reviews are carried out. SNAs have told me of SENO classroom visits where there was no engagement with the child and no meaningful consultation with the SNA. This is not a child-centred approach. It is bureaucratic box-ticking. This anecdote also speaks to the question of respect for SNAs and the expertise they hold as professionals accompanying children throughout their school journeys. In recent weeks, we have had an outpouring of public support for SNAs. People recognise their value. The real test will be in contract negotiations on full-time hours, pensions, the 72 additional hours, redeployment and formal recognition as public servants. The Government says it recognises their value but words are not enough. Many of the concerns I mentioned were raised in the EPSEN review authored by the Minister's own Department. Why conduct reviews if absolutely nothing comes from their recommendations? That question must be asked. These challenges do not exist in isolation. Lack of SNAs, oversized classes, redesignation of mild general learning disability, MGLD, schools and the shortage of special classes and school places are all interconnected. They require proper sustained investment. It should be noted that no parent seeks an SNA support for their child if they do not need it. A new departure means ramping up investment in education, which is something that will surely yield a dividend.

I will focus on an issue I found in Roscommon and Galway. This time, it is not in relation to cuts per se, but a situation where schools do not have the correct or adequate number of SNAs in the first place. I will give one example. I provided a letter of support for a school that is appealing its SNA allocation. That school has two full-time SNAs and one part-time SNA. The two full-time SNAs are with two children who are a flight risk and have a number of primary care needs. Those children cannot be left unattended for the start of the school day, throughout and to the end of the school day. That is the two SNAs. The SNA who is part time is working with eight children, all with additional needs and a variety of needs. It is not possible for that SNA to do her job as a part-time SNA, yet that school has been told it has the required number of SNAs. The school looked for a review itself. It was half-terrified when it looked for it, but it was told it would hold what it has, which is what it is appealing now. We should not have a situation where a part-time SNA has to try to deal with the needs of eight children. It is not fair on the SNA and it is certainly not fair on the eight children. That is just one example of one school in my constituency. I know of other cases where children have to leave school early because the SNA finishes at a certain time and has to go home. In 2026, it is a shame to have any child in a classroom not receiving the support they deserve and are entitled to simply to get them through the school day. We have a serious issue here and we need to resolve it. We need to ensure that every child in every school has the SNA they need - nothing more and nothing less.

Last week, I received a letter from 21 school principals across Donegal. I sent it to the Minister and the Minister of State. I ask them to meet with a delegation of these principals. They have asked that the Ministers meet them in the school to see exactly what they are talking about. I ask them to read the letter because it specifically deals with the issues. It is not just about these letters that cause great distress and anguish to schools across the State. The first I knew about it was when it affected one of my local schools, St. Oran's National School in Buncrana. The system that is in place and the outdated criteria just do not reflect what the special needs assistant does today, as we speak in 2026. It does not reflect the central importance SNAs have in schools. Teachers - in this case the principal speaking for the teachers - are struggling to deal with the existing criteria. The big lesson for the Government to take is that the regulations that go back to 2014, as Deputy O'Rourke said, are just not fit for purpose any more. They have to be scrapped. The Government has to put in place a new framework for SNAs, one that is based on the real experience teachers and SNAs are seeing in schools. It is important that this is not just a case of kicking the can down the road and a review of the review. This has to mean a complete change to the framework that is there. It is not working and does not reflect the reality. That is the lesson that needs to be learned.

I welcome the statements by the Minister and the Minister of State confirming there will be no cuts to SNAs across schools this year. From speaking to SNAs and parents, however, they are worried that this is just a pause. What will happen next year? I listened to the Minister's speech. She spoke about SENOs knowing our education system. A lot of Deputies spoke today and yesterday about the 2014 circular that is totally outdated. When the policy was being developed, SENOs felt they were not listened to, but they are the professionals and the gang that live it every day in schools. I have certainly listened to that. We had an online meeting last Monday. There was well over 1,000 people at that. We listened to parents, teachers, SENOs and SNAs pouring their hearts out with grief and fear. One woman from Cork apologised before she even opened her mouth because she was so upset. These are not my words but this lady's words; she said she never felt so undervalued in her entire life. She never felt so broken for doing something that she loved and felt that there was no answer. I welcome the July provision. I sat on the autism committee, which made 109 recommendations. I would like that to improve and keep going forward. The Minister also mentioned dialogue, the new platforms, the new policy documents that are coming out and the work between the Department and the unions. I will flag something the unions have told me straight out. They said that what would happen is they will go into a dark room, the unions and the Department will say their piece, but it will be the Department's way or the highway. I wanted to flag that because if we want to do the right thing, we should engage with every single body to get the policies right. If we do, we will never be back here again.

The Minister may want to try to deflect from her statement today but Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil are responsible for the SNA crisis. It is of their own making and is compounded by their chaotic, uncertain handling of the mess. Letters did go out. It would be something if they recognised the distress caused to parents, children and SNAs, held their hands up, recognised their mistake and apologised. They should not try to blame the NCSE. It is not its fault; the Minister is in charge. She should apologise and make clear to the schools facing cuts to their SNA allocation that these will not go ahead. However, the Government chooses to further compound the cruelty with a review of a review, with no date for when this will be completed. Parents, children, SNAs and teachers are expected to pick up the slack. They deserve better than the Government spinning a review to provide cover for a quieter climbdown in a few weeks or in the mistaken hope it might succeed in getting this over the line at a later point. What they deserve is to have the Government now clearly, categorically and without equivocation address and resolve the hurt the Minister and Minister of State have caused. Sinn Féin's motion last night offered every Member of the House the opportunity to apologise to every school, SNA and family impacted. The Government should commit to abandoning the debacle-laden review, publishing a comprehensive SNA workforce development plan, developing a genuine partnership with SNAs and their unions, and implementing a fair and transparent SNA redeployment scheme to provide job security for existing SNAs to retain their invaluable experience within the school system. That is what recognition of hurt the Government has caused actually looks like, and it is so familiar to all the SNAs who are protesting this evening for that very reason.

I spoke on this last night here in the Dáil and again today with the Taoiseach. This has been an absolutely catastrophic number of weeks for so many people for whom this matter has caused so much stress. I said last night that, as a Parliament, we have to take account of the fact that so many children, particularly those with additional needs, along with parents, SNAs and school communities, were deeply affected. We cannot just turn around on a whim all of a sudden and stop talking about this, because for two weeks straight schools were deeply affected by what they were led to believe was the taking of resources from children. Ultimately, that is what happened. We had a policy in place. The Department implemented that policy through the SENOs and NCSE. Schools received letters stating they were to lose or gain SNAs. There was a huge outcry of support for SNAs and then, all of a sudden, the policy was scrapped. It was rowed back. The political wind changed and we were offered €19 million to save the day. Last year, I stood on the streets of Cork city and outside this Dáil with parents who were trying to access special classes for their children. To be fair to the Minister of State, Deputy Moynihan, he worked extremely hard to get classes set up and make them available. We did that but this year again there is another issue. It relates to SNAs. It is a question of resources and classes, and it should not be the case that every single year it is the parents and children who are deeply affected by ad hoc decision-making by the Government.

The chaos this Government has inflicted on SNAs, parents and children countrywide has been absolutely appalling. I, like many, have listened to the Minister in this Chamber and on the national airwaves, but after a week of listening I am still not sure Ministers even know what their position was. Parents do. SNAs do. Schools do. They know that the Government rushed through a review with no real consultation, and seemingly no real understanding of the role of SNAs and definitely no real plan for schools. We know there was no real plan because we have heard this directly from the schools themselves. Thornleigh Educate Together National School, which is in Swords in my constituency, had a full-school SNA review in December 2024, and an increase of 2.66 SNAs was granted in January 2025. In September 2025, it enrolled a large number of pupils with needs in junior infants and in other classes, which is exactly what we wanted schools to do. The school identified 15 of the children as requiring significant SNA support. It effectively had to use two SEN teachers in an SNA role as a result. This was intended as a temporary measure while it engaged with the NCSE. That engagement happened and a focus review was carried out in November where only paperwork related to the newly emerged needs was examined. To the school's horror, it received an email at the start of February this year stating not only that it would not be provided with an additional SNA allocation to meet the newly emerged needs but also that its existing allocation would be cut by one post. Can anyone explain how that works to me, the parents of the children, the children themselves or the SNA whose job was cut? Thornleigh was not the only school in my constituency affected, of course. Donabate Portrane Educate Together National School was told it too was facing a cut to its number of SNAs. From start to finish, the handling of this was total madness. There are also the cases of other schools. I have raised in this Chamber and directly with the Minister of State the case of River Valley Community National School, which had different needs in relation to providing a safe learning environment for children with additional needs. That was put on the back burner because of this absolute shambles. We welcome the backtrack, but there has been an absolute crisis – one of the Minister's making.

The announcement rushed out on Monday night was designed to do two things: quell the Dáil on Tuesday and silence SNAs and families on Wednesday. It has not succeeded. SNAs are not stupid. As Deputy Bacik said yesterday during Leaders' Questions, they know a pause is not a plan. The Taoiseach's performance yesterday during Leaders' Questions was incredible. It showed signs of a Government in absolute panic mode. It was a shambles. It was the leader of a country throwing civil servants in the Department of education and the NCSE under the school bus.

Hear, hear.

It was shameful for and unbecoming of someone who delights in telling us he is a former education Minister. It would serve him and the rest of the Government better, and would restore some trust in politics, if he, the Minister and the Minister of State just admitted that they all got this horribly wrong. Instead, they apologised for how things were communicated. It was absolutely shambolic. They did not apologise at all for the policy itself. That is telling. I am aware that there are SENOs across this country whose very first job over the past two weeks was to go into schools, based on the letters received, and tell them they were going to experience cuts to their SNA complement. They did this because the NCSE was forced to introduce arbitrary cuts with no policy rationale whatsoever other than to help with budgetary overruns in the Department of education. That is the nub of it. The trust is broken between SNAs and the Government, and a pause will not cut it. There needs to be a new plan and, ultimately, SNAs themselves, families and young people need to be involved in framing that new plan. The Minister is suppressing replies to parliamentary questions. She refused to release to me the names of schools in Louth that received NCSE letters prior to the first pause. These letters exist and they are a matter of public record. The shambles the Government has made for itself is demonstrated by the fact that it is simply refusing to do something it is obliged to do, namely send to me information already on the public record by way of replies to parliamentary questions. The Minister is obliged to answer and must confirm that she will.

About two weekends ago, I took a call from an SNA who informed me they had been told their job was under threat following a letter the school they were employed in had received from the NCSE. The fear, heartbreak and anxiety in that call will stay with me for a long time. Not knowing if you have a job or how you will pay your mortgage and look after your family reflects the reality of what a Department has caused in sending out the letters. It is the reason I raised it with the Taoiseach the following Tuesday, the first opportunity available to me. The panic in the SNA's call has got to be a watershed moment for us all in this House regarding how SNAs are treated. They must not be left in a position where they will continue to dread the call to the principal's office. In some cases that I heard about recently, they were being offered limited-hours contracts that a part-time employee would have difficulty with. I have been inundated by calls from families who have told me their children with special educational needs flourished because of the special bond they had with their SNAs. Those families cannot understand why a Government would have wanted to break that bond and jeopardise the progress their loved ones were making. In my own area, three schools - Scoil Mhichíl Naofa, Athy, Patrician Secondary School, Newbridge, and St. Joseph's in Halverstown - received letters. The panic in the calls I received has got to be the watershed. The Government must not continue to treat SNAs like it has been treating them as a result of the letters. We all hear that SNA numbers are increasing. The three schools that contacted me were to see cuts. That is the reality of it. They were losing their SNAs. The SNAs were losing their livelihoods and those children who needed them were losing the special bond. That is the reality.

No forgiveness: that was the message I received from a parent yesterday about the attempted SNA cuts. On 6 February, the Minister proudly announced funding for 45 special schools. The announcement read, "Every child deserves to reach their full potential." Three weeks later, the Government moved to strip SNA support from thousands of children across the country. Is it a question of every child or only those children who fit the spreadsheet? On 7 February, at the Fine Gael disability conference in Galway, the right words were spoken. After the applause faded, the photographs were taken. Was it intended to make the announcement, host the conference and quietly reduce the supports once attention shifted? That was a miscalculation. It did not rely on principles or reckon on teachers, SNAs and parents saying "No more cuts". Here in the Oireachtas, if a Member has additional needs, support is provided without hesitation. No one is told to manage with less. Why is that not the same for the children in our education system? Parents are already exhausted, fighting daily for basic services. The Government relies on that exhaustion. It hopes families are too tired to resist. There was an effort to take away another piece of stability the SNAs had. We do not need cuts; we need planning, strategic and systemic change and respect for children with additional needs. The next time the Government says "every child", I hope it means it. Families will not forget and will not forgive.

I am glad to have the opportunity to speak on this. Stopping the cut to SNAs in schools was the right thing to do and I think it has given some people reprieve. I have been out to visit several schools this week, sat in staff rooms and helped schools with their appeals. I met parents and some students who benefit from SNA support. SNA support is a key enabler in Irish education. It allows people to fulfil their schooldays in a happy, supported way. To take that away can be devastating for the child and the parent, and then there is the uncertainty that brings for the SNA. Many feel that this is just a reprieve and they are looking for certainty beyond today as to what will happen next and what will happen in the new school year. I refer to timelines in particular. We want to know when all these reviews will happen and when Circular 0030/2014 will be reviewed. We need to hear those timelines. SNAs need certainty. Before becoming a TD, I was a primary school teacher, and many moons ago I worked for a year as a special needs assistant. This has to be a reset moment where we define properly and put proper value on the work of SNAs in all schools throughout the country. The schools I have visited this week are in Flagmount, Feakle and Kilfenora. Many more are affected by this and they want certainty going forward. Crucially, we need to deal with Circular 0030/2014, brought in by the Labour Government in 2014. It is not working and does not reflect what is going on in schools throughout the country. It needs to be overhauled, and I would hate to think that it would still be in existence this time next year. Finally, SENOs do a fine job. Many of them are very good, but I have come across very many cases where SENOs are overriding the expert opinions of educational psychologists. That would not happen in any other sphere. Not one of us here would go down the street to one of the acute hospitals in Dublin, walk up to the surgical theatre and start telling the surgeon how they should be doing their job or overriding their expert opinion. That does not happen in any field. There is a legal point to this. We cannot have someone who is not an educational psychologist pick up a report and diminish what it actually involves. That is wrong, and that is a legal point the Government will have to grasp because it is central to this issue we find ourselves in.

When I speak about special needs assistants today, I want to do so in a fashion that is factual and considered because behind all the headlines and all the political noise over the past week there are real children, real families and real SNAs who show up every single morning to do extraordinary work. Special needs assistants are not an add-on to the education system; they are part of the foundation of inclusive education in Ireland. They support children with additional care needs, assisting with mobility, personal care, communication, emotional regulation and helping students participate safely and meaningfully in school life. Their work allows teachers to teach, schools to function and children to belong. Over the past decade the number of SNAs has increased significantly in response to growing and more complex needs. The State now funds thousands of SNA posts annually through the Department of education, with allocations advised by the NCSE. The expansion did not happen by accident. It reflects a policy decision that children with additional needs should be supported in mainstream education wherever possible. That is the right policy direction, but if we are being honest, the growth has presented massive challenges. Schools need clarity well in advance of each academic year that allocations are transparent and evidence-based, that SNAs themselves are recognised as skilled professionals within our education system and that communication with schools shall never create fear again. The Minister has visited east Galway and has met with many different schools, but I want to highlight this. One of the biggest issues in our education sector in east Galway is the demand for SNAs and the need for more SNAs and for schools to be better supported. The need is growing but we need to rise to meet it.

When the 2014 circular from the Department of education is updated, I hope it will clearly recognise something that every teacher and every parent already knows: that every school in Ireland has students with additional needs and, therefore, every school should be entitled to at least one special needs assistant. I welcome the recent news from the Minister that there will be no reduction in the allocation of SNAs for the upcoming year, but needs in schools do not always present as dramatic or highly visible. Yes, some students require significant support with care, mobility or medical needs, but there are many more children whose needs may be described as mild or moderate: difficulties with organisation, emotional regulation, social interaction, anxiety or attention. On their own these needs may seem small, but when you add them all together across an entire school they are not small at all. I welcome the upcoming reforms to redefine the role of the SNA to include supporting non-physical needs, but in schools that are fortunate enough to have an SNA allocated for significant care needs, that SNA often becomes a quiet pillar of support for the wider school community. Once their core duties are met, they can help steady a child who is overwhelmed, support inclusion in the yard or assist a teacher during particularly challenging parts of the day. That flexibility benefits everyone. Schools that do not have an SNA allocation, however, are at a clear disadvantage. The needs still exist. They do not disappear because there is no allocation, but instead the burden falls entirely on already stretched teachers and school leaders. This impacts not only the children with additional needs but the whole classroom. If we are truly committed to inclusion, then inclusion must be universal. Every school should begin with a baseline allocation of one SNA, and from that starting point allocations can be reviewed and revised upwards where the level of need requires it but never, ever down to zero. The only direction support should move is up, in response to identified need.

To be quite straight about this, the heart of this problem is the 2014 circular and the recognition only of primary care needs of children. If you spend 30 seconds in this country talking to a special needs assistant about their job, you will know that circular does not even nearly reflect what SNAs do every day. It is a crucial part of the job, but they do so much more: breaks with children who are overstimulated or overwhelmed or who might need even to go for a walk for a few minutes, classroom assistance for other children, children who are a flight risk and children who are school refusers. Those children are not recognised in the same way when it comes to an SNA allocation as those with primary care needs. That is wrong. In 2014 Circular 30 was introduced by a Labour Party Minister for education. It was wrong then and it is wrong now. Reviews are in and of themselves not necessarily bad. We see reviews every year when it comes to teacher allocations if the pupil-teacher ratio changes in schools, and they are not necessarily bad for SNAs, but as long as they are relying on the 2014 circular, they will not be fair on school communities, teachers, principals, SNAs or the children and families they support. I welcome that the review has been paused. How the NCSE approached this is unacceptable and wrong, and I cannot shy back from that because I have spoken to principals who have faced those letters coming into their schools saying they will lose some SNAs. The individual who wrote the letter did not even put their name at the end of it for the principal to have someone to talk to afterwards. That is not an appropriate level of public service either. Over the coming months the committee on education, of which I am a member, will do quite a lot of work on this. The NCSE and the Department of education will be before us, as I am sure the Minister and the Ministers of State will be at some stage too, and I will want to discuss the 2014 circular. It is essential. Next year we will have 25,000 SNAs in this country. That is brilliant, but let us have a circular that reflects the work they actually do.

This is an important debate in that it focuses attention on those within our school system who need additional support. We need to acknowledge the very significant progress that has been made in the increase in the number of SNAs from 16,000 in 2020 to where it will be over 25,000 this year. I also want to talk about the 16 new special schools that have been created since 2020, which are incredibly important, including one in Gorey, County Wexford. I know both the Minister and the Minister of State have visited it. It is already under pressure for space. I welcome in particular the fact that therapy-based services are now available in all those schools. Critical to this debate is that the focus has to be on the child and their family and on providing those supports. It cannot just be about the allocation of SNAs to schools; it has to be about the necessary support for the children specifically concerned. I share colleagues' concerns about the National Council for Special Education. I think it failed in how it engaged on this issue with schools, and from a communications point of view it was a disaster. I also want to express concern about the fact that in north Wexford we have been left without a SENO for some time. This is a concern. SENOs are incredibly important in terms of being able to liaise with schools. As part of the review of the role of the SNA, we need to look at the role of the SENO in terms of the support they can give to the individual learner within the school system. The fact that we are now focusing on this issue is critical as we go on. It needs to continue to be remembered that the child has to be at the centre of this discussion.

Over the past number of weeks, I have listened intently to parents who are sick with worry. I have listened to special needs assistants who are lying awake at night wondering if they will have a job come September. These are jobs that they love and vocations they do with every fibre of their being. I have listened to children and their voices, which are really important in this debate. They simply want to feel safe, supported and included in their own classrooms. What have they been met with over the past two and a half to three weeks? It is gaslighting. There is no other word for what they have been met with. They have been told there is no crisis. They have been told there will be no cuts. Then they were told that it would be paused. In Waterford, Government representatives were out in the space of one day with three different messages. The first was that it was all a conspiracy crafted by the Opposition. In the next couple of hours, it was that there were not cuts and what were people talking about. After that, it was that there were cuts but they were going to stop them. The Government needs to listen to parents, SNAs and school leaders. If it had done that it would have heard what we in Sinn Féin heard when we had our public meeting. I know other parties in the Opposition have been engaging with SNAs as well. The depth of anger was striking. It was really astounding. The testimonies were raw and moving. The level of anxiety was so sharp. There is a real determination among these parents, SNAs and school leaders to ensure these children have access to an appropriate and proper education. We have to also be clear that there is a context here. The chaos did not come from nowhere. It came from Government decisions and policy. No matter how Government tries to throw Ministers, Ministers of State, the NCSE, schools and anybody and everybody they can under the bus over this, this is Government decision-making. This is policy writ large. Policy that has to be changed late at night by Government leaders is never good policy. It is the hallmark of bad policy. Schools have been told of impending cuts and now what we have is a reprieve. It is not the reset that the sector desperately needs. While the review has stopped, the damage has already been done. Trust has been shattered. There will be protests outside this place this evening. There will be protests across the State today, tomorrow and Friday. Trust is gone. Parents are still anxious. They do not believe Government and what they have been told. SNAs do not believe the Government. We still do not know what September will look like in schools for these children. Will any child lose their SNA in September? That is the question. We need solid guarantees that will not happen. It should never have been a question in the first place. One parent highlighted to me the difficulties with the circular and how it does not reflect the daily work they see done by SNAs for their child and other children in that class. It goes far beyond the narrow definition in the 2014 circular. This moment should be about properly valuing SNAs, understanding their work and updating the framework to reflect what they actually do. Here we have a broken system that needs to be changed. We have parents who are used to fighting for every therapy, support and piece of access they have for their child. They are going to continue fighting and mark my words, this battle is not over. People are going to hold the Minister and this Government accountable to what they have promised and said in the past number of days to ensure that no child is left without the support they need to secure an education.

I speak plainly about the role of SNAs and what they mean to children, families and schools and why the current situation has caused such anguish and confusion. What special needs assistants bring is “S” for security and safety, “N” for nurture and needs and “A”, they are advocates and assistants in our schools for our children who have additional needs. They are not add-ons to schools as somebody already said. They are not an extra that we might like. They are absolutely essential workers in our schools. I know the Minister and Minister of State know that because we have had these conversations before. What has happened is that the actions the Government and its agencies have taken have eroded all of that trust. The difficulty now is that they will have to earn that trust back. I know they both want to do that. What has happened is they have been forced to make announcements late at night to say there will not be any cuts. This is echoing Covid times, which is quite triggering for a lot of principals, when at five o'clock on a Friday there would be announcements saying they needed to action something by the next week. Announcements late at night are not great. There needs to be meaningful engagement and long-term planning. There are real challenges here with this focus on SNAs. If we move a bit from that, there is a number of things that are glaringly confusing about what is going to happen with special education. When there is no need for a diagnosis in 2027-2028, how is a school going to figure out what the needs will be for a child coming in? What will that mean for the mild, general learning disability schools? Will they no longer exist? Catch-all is no good for anybody because those students are thriving right now. When we take that service away, that is something that will be an absolute mess. That is something that will come up again in the future. Last night on "The Late Debate" a parent rang in and said she had spoken to so many parents who feel lucky they get an assessment of need, a school place and that they have a SNA for their child. There should be no luck about this. This is a fundamental basic need and requirement that this State should be providing to any child who needs it. When we are not able to do that as a society, we are failing literally everyone, if we cannot look after the most vulnerable in our society. Tonight, there will be protests outside the Dáil and, as previously said, throughout the country. There are three asks. The first concerns the circular from 2014. I know the Minister and Minister of State have accepted this needs to happen. We need to move on. The role has evolved. We need to let a new circular come out to explain exactly what that is and the limitations and absolute ability for what SNAs actually do in real life in schools. The second ask is that there needs to be consultation with all stakeholders by the Government. I am thankful to the Minister of State, Deputy Moynihan, for accepting that he will do that. I know the Taoiseach said that yesterday when I asked him during Questions on Policy or Legislation. If I can help in any way to facilitate that, I will. I know people want to talk about this with him. I know there will be respectful dialogue, so I look forward to that. The third thing is that the full redeployment model and the full role of SNAs needs to be moved out. I reiterate the point I made yesterday. Redeployment for teachers works because they teach a curriculum, and they also have a relationship with young people. An SNA's role is relationship based. It is a skilled role. If you do not have a relationship with a child, the social and emotional regulation of that child will not happen. The relationship is fundamental. Redeployment is very important and needs to be nuanced. The Government cannot repeat the mistakes that have happened. It needs to learn from this. This is a really good learning moment. We need to bring humanity back into the classrooms and into the policies. I look forward in assisting in whatever I can with that.

It would be completely wrong to reframe this as some form of simple communication problem. This is a systematic policy failure. Successive governments have designed a model that narrows how care is defined. It signed off on it and allowed letters to be issued. When the schools and the parents rightfully reacted, suddenly everyone seemed to be taken by surprise. Absolutely nothing about this was surprising. You cannot tighten SNA thresholds in overcrowded classrooms and pretend that nothing else will be impacted. You cannot remove complex need from the special education teacher allocation model and not expect the pressure to land somewhere else. You cannot speak about inclusion while refusing to deal with adult to child ratios in our classrooms. Inclusion is never just a slogan. Inclusion is done best when it is included as a staffing model. Right now, teachers are managing classes that are larger and more complex than the structure was ever designed to support. Special needs assistants have become a pressure valve for a wider failure to invest in adequate teacher supply and class sizes. If we are being truly honest, this was not chaos caused by any school. It was chaos created by a system that in no way matches the reality of a classroom. If Government wishes to calm this down it must begin by stopping any conversation about narrowing supports and start rebuilding the architecture of our classrooms properly. If the Government keeps trying to squeeze the system without strengthening it, the only people who will pay a price will be our children. We need to start valuing SNAs. Too often in this Chamber over the past six years, we have come in and spoken about SNA pay, their evaluation, the model from which they are accredited and how they are treated in classrooms. SNAs do an invaluable job. We need to start valuing them.

I will start local and then widen it out to the broader vision of inclusive education. Locally, we have been affected by this most recent debacle. Clíona O’Keeffe, who is the principal of Our Lady’s Boys National School in Ballinteer, made multiple media contributions in which she put it perfectly. She said that as a wealthy European country, surely we have enough money in our budget to pay for enough SNAs per school. Her school was told that its allocation would be cut from five to two, prompting waves of anxiety among the school community, parents, children, teachers and SNAs. I was canvassing in the area that week. Multiple people who answered their doors me were distraught about what was coming down the line. I will now widen it out and talk about the broader picture. In a brilliant op-ed in The Journal, Derval McDonagh said: We owe it to this generation - and the next - to think bigger. To move from allocation debates to transformation. To ensure that every child can say with confidence: this school was built for me too. My biggest frustration comes from listening to the Taoiseach defend, day after day, whether there is an increase or whether the allocations will be properly managed. This is all distracting from what we should be doing, which is implementing a fundamental systemic change in how we teach children in this country to one that is inclusive. We start by recognising the constitutional right of every child to an appropriate education and the State then going about realising that right. Tinkering with the number of SNAs and arguing about what the appropriate level is to completely underestimate the mammoth task the State faces to do exactly that, namely create inclusive education where no child is left behind, where no child is segregated and where we all benefit from a system that embraces difference.

The shambles we have seen over the past few weeks would suggest that either the Government does not adequately understand the crisis it is overseeing or the real meaning of inclusion for our children. The decision to cut the number of SNAs was a decision to cut, regardless of how the Government wants to spin it. It was a reduction and a curtailment of the duties on which an assessment would take place on the basis of a highly outdated circular. Nearly one third of the schools that were reviewed were told that the number of SNAs would be reduced. This was a cut. These reviews are clearly not fit for purpose. The question must be asked as to whether the NCSE is the appropriate body to carry out these assessments. Clearly, a change is needed in order to reflect the valuable work SNAs do so that they can provide the supports that are needed to children. There is a better way forward. The review of the review is not good enough. We need to see the role of SNAs recognised properly and expanded to include regulation and communication. SNAs across the country, including those in my constituency, assist children with regulation, which is not mentioned in the 2014 circular, and communication, but this is not considered when allocating SNAs. The Minister must agree to an open and honest conversation with parents, unions, advocacy groups and school leaders, who we will see outside the Dáil later and who are rightly raising their voices because what they are doing is expressing that the system is not working for them. It is not working for SNAs, it is not working for children, it is not working for teachers and it is not working for parents. The Taoiseach states that there has been a huge increase in numbers, but the reality is that there is a need for this increase in order to make real inclusion in our classes work to support both children and the SNAs and teachers who are doing their best.

I thank the Minister and Minister of State for facilitating this debate. I thank them both for their efforts in recent days and weeks in securing the additional funding to ensure that SNA numbers in our schools will not be reduced. This will allow the space to plan for the future properly. We all know the important work that SNAs do. It has been referred to many times this afternoon during this debate. They play a vital role in school life building important relationships with students and becoming a central part of a student's life in school. Unfortunately, the debacle in the past couple of weeks has resulted in unnecessary stress and anxiety for SNAs, teachers, parents and students. We cannot repeat these mistakes. Whatever the plan for the future is in terms of defining the role of the SNA and developing the workforce plan, we need to fully engage and consult with all those involved in the process to ensure that whatever resources are available are used in the most effective way possible so that each child is given the best support possible. As a country, we need to be proud of the fact that we prioritise children with additional needs. We often hear figures. We refer to the increase in the budget to almost €3 billion this year, the fact that this represents 28% of the education budget and so on. These are facts we should be proud of. These figures are likely to increase in the years ahead and, again, we need to embrace that fact and welcome the fact that as a country, we are determined to ensure that each child is given the support he or she needs and has the potential to reach his or her full potential in life. We all know education is a game-changer. It can be life-changing for an individual. We all know that in this country and in many other countries in the past, children were not given the opportunity to reach their full potential because they did not receive the support they deserved. I want to live in a country which celebrates the fact that additional needs get the spending and resources they need. We will need to continue to increase the number of SNAs in our schools in the future. We have to plan and provide for this. There should be no more short-term, ill-considered reactions. This area is too important to the lives of too many people and we need to plan for the future in a considered and collaborative way.

I begin by acknowledging the scale of the Government's investment in special education. This year, over €3 billion is being invested in special educational supports. We will have nearly 25,000 SNAs in our schools in September - an additional 1,700 this year alone. The number of SNAs has increased by approximately 45% since 2020 and by 47% in my constituency of Tipperary. We cannot say that this is not significant progress. It reflects a genuine commitment by this Government. Investment is not enough, however. What recent weeks have shown is that the framework underpinning SNA allocation, particularly the 2014 circular, may no longer reflect the realities of mainstream modern classrooms. The circular's emphasis on care needs has in practice created confusion and anxiety. Many children who do not meet a narrow interpretation of primary care needs nonetheless require structured support to access education safely and meaningfully. Teachers, SNAs and parents know this. The pause in the review process should, therefore, be seen as an opportunity to modernise the criteria so that we clearly have a child-centred approach. It is an opportunity to put in place a coherent special education workforce plan that gives certainty to schools and SNAs. We must ensure that reviews are not perceived as resource-led exercises but are perceived as needs-led assessments grounded in professional judgement and the lived reality of classrooms. If we use this pause constructively to update policy, clarify criteria and strengthen planning, something positive can come from what has understandably been an upsetting period for many school communities. Let us match our record investment with a modernised framework that delivers certainty, dignity and inclusion school by school and child by child in order that every child will have the opportunity to reach the maximum of his or her ability.

I will start by acknowledging the commitment of the Government to SNAs. Over €3 billion has been provided this year and there is a commitment to reach 26,000 SNAs by September. I also acknowledge all the other services and supports for education such as books, transport, uniforms or meals. The role of the SNA has evolved so much in recent years and now comes with a level of complexity around behavioural, emotional and social care needs. In reality, they go above and beyond every day, are vital in the running of the classroom and are a conduit between teachers and children. Regarding deciding the best way forward, we need a root-and-branch overhaul of our education system, how we provide education and the impact not just on a special needs child but on the rest of the class and the teacher. This should go beyond looking at human resources and should focus on financial support as well. In recent days, I reached out to every school in County Offaly. The feedback I received was very constructive. They want to see a meaningful pathway forward to ensure that there is effectiveness. When a school like Dromakeenan National School tells me that it was waiting for a review and that this was cancelled at the last minute by the NCSE, or St. Manchan's National School in Tubber tells me that its allocation of SNAs was reduced from four to or Mercy Primary School in Birr indicates that it has been waiting a long time for an outcome, we have as questions about effectiveness of the NCSE and where that organisation stands in all of this. There has not been enough ongoing engagement between teachers, principals and the NCSE. There has to be an understanding as to how these reviews are continuously pushed out, thereby creating a level of uncertainty and a lack of predictability for schools, particularly in the context of temporary SNAs. We need to take this opportunity and use it effectively to create a new platform that will operate in the interests of all our students going forward.

This time two years ago, I was working as an SNA in a primary school. At the time, I was under no illusion as to what my job description was because my contract was in line Circular 0030/2014. I was employed, like all SNAs are currently employed, to assist in the care needs of pupils with disability in an educational context. The excellent class teachers who are qualified to teach are responsible, under that circular, for the education of all students in the classroom. That is the current SNA brief. On the ground, however, SNAs, myself included, worked way outside that brief to not just assist the child I was assigned to but also all of the other children in the classroom. Why? It is because SNAs, by their very nature, are kind, caring and helpful. We place children at the very centre of our days, just like teachers do in their teaching role. Classrooms in Ireland are positive spaces. It is important to put that on the record. The Irish school system is a good system whereby staff - be they SNAs, teachers, secretaries or caretakers - all care about the students that are in their schools. In light of the SNA reviews, I know that people were worried, anxious, upset and angry at the process. To be fair to the SENOs and the NCSE more broadly, they are doing their jobs in line with the circular. It states that all SNA allocations are subject to annual reviews. That is their brief. To be fair, the Department of Education, the Minister, Deputy Naughton, and the Minister of State, Deputy Moynihan, are fully aware that the circular is not reflective of the role of an SNA in 2026. A review of it has been ongoing for some time. The challenge relates to the difference in what an SNA is supposed to do versus what they actually do. I really look forward to the updated circular being published. For parents, SNAs and schools, the fact is that no cuts are being proposed, nor will they be. Crucially, no review will happen until after the publication of three crucial pieces of information on the SNA redeployment scheme, the SNA workforce development plan and the updated Circular 0030/2014. What we really need to see when that review comes out is that the parameters upon which allocations are decided must be much more reflective of the realities of the needs that are present in an Irish classroom as we approach 2030. My senior infant class sent me a lovely letter when I first got elected. They said that they hoped that my kind, caring and helpful SNA personality will help this country be better. Children, I am trying.

I listened to the Minister's comments yesterday. I cannot express how angry and frustrated SNAs, principals, teachers, parents and SENOs are. What the Government, including the Taoiseach, is trying to do is gaslight schools, parents and SNAs. The Government's policy is to blame everyone else. The buck stops here. I was in the Chamber two weeks ago when this matter was highlighted for the Taoiseach and the Minister. They doubled down at that point. Now, they are saying "We did not know the cuts were going to be this bad or that the review were going to be so severe." They did know, however, because we raised the matter. I raised it with the Minister two weeks ago. The Minister and the Taoiseach stated that they cannot understand the NCSE's approach. The NCSE is implementing Government policy. The Minister and the Taoiseach are quick to blame the NCSE for implementing the policy, but the Government wrote that policy. I have correspondence from the Minister which states that the Department does not believe in giving SNA support to children in fifth and sixth class because they might be refused it in secondary school. I have that in writing from the Minister. The Minister and Taoiseach stated that this is not their policy and that they did not what was happening. The best one was the reference to bad communication. What a load of bluff. The Government is punishing vulnerable children on the off-chance that they may not have supports when they get into secondary school. In the context of the cuts relating to SNAs, the Government is failing parents, schools, SNAs and, most importantly, children. It is making the job of SENOs impossible. A teacher's job is to lead a classroom and to ensure that the curriculum is taught. The job of the SNA is to ensure that children can follow. It is a simple system but it works, because SNAs are there to support the children who need it. A child in fourth class spoke to me about his full-time SNA. There are five children in the class who have been diagnosed with autism and ADHD. The child in question said that his classroom was crazy when the SNA was out for one day. The students learnt nothing that day. The teacher could not bring them out on a movement break, spend time with them or teach properly. That was one day without an SNA. I know the cuts have been postponed and are being reviewed. They should be abolished. It is more SNAs that we need. Children need to be supported and this Government needs to be honest with people.

There are two very important lessons that we have learnt from the SNA debacle over the past couple of weeks. The first is that the Government does not care about the most vulnerable and, left to its own devices, will abandon them. The second is that people power works because the Government is now promising an extra €19 million for SNAs. The Government is also saying that no school will lose SNAs next year. The only reason that happened was because of a groundswell of protest on the part of parents, SNAs and teachers. It did not happen because some kind of logical light bulb went off in the heads of those in government. It happened because the Government came under immense pressure. Acting together, school communities forced the Government into an embarrassing climb-down. The lesson in this regard that should ring out widely across the country on all sorts of issues is that people power works and that the Government can be defeated. Of course, it is true that what the Government has been forced to concede is nowhere near enough to guarantee every child their right to an education appropriate to their needs. That is why the protest outside the Dáil at 5 p.m. is going ahead. It is important that the protest does go ahead because, as the organisers say, an extended pause is not good enough. An SNA who has two autistic sons wrote to me last week. She stated: I wish some TDs could spend a day in a school and actually see what is going on. We would be classed as having a lot in our school and it’s nowhere near enough. The amount of children needing our supports is too much for us to deal with on good days. [...] The stress we face every day going to school is sometimes unbearable. Through no fault of their own, a lot of these kids just can’t cope because they are in the wrong setting. Myself and my colleagues are daily hit, kicked, bitten, called all sorts of names but we continue to go to work because along with these distressing behaviours we also witness moments of magic when a child will engage, will integrate, will give you a smile and some eye contact, will begin to form letters while writing after our hand has been over theirs for years. We are important. We are good at our jobs. We deserve better and more importantly these kids deserve better. Inclusion without support = abandonment. It is clear that the root cause of this is the failed approach of allocating SNAs on the basis of narrowly defined primary care needs. That is what needs to be stopped. Instead, the Department should trust schools and parents. They know what the needs are. The Department should start forward planning based on realistic demographic projections with spare capacity built into the system. We need significant and sustained multi-annual increases in funding to reduce class sizes, train thousands more special educational teachers and therapists and guarantee at least one SNA for every classroom. There is so much more that can be done but what we have learned is the Government will not do any of it unless it is forced and that is why people continue to mobilise and will be on the streets in a couple of hours' time.

There will be no SNA cuts next year and this is welcome but it does not undo the damage that has already been done. It is significant that public money was spent sending SENOs across the country trying to save money and making cuts. They were forced into it. It was wasted because this process lacks transparency and respect for staff, parents and children. How fiercely we protect the most vulnerable in society, and will continue to do so, was misjudged. In cases where schools no longer needed SNAs and it came to a natural conclusion when the child moved on, they were willing to step aside. I have dealt with these schools but instead of careful planning, it was a chaotic, top-down process that was imposed on them. Accountability is essential and whoever is responsible for the wasted resources, the undermining of SENOs and the anxiety it has caused families needs to take responsibility. Does this lie with the special education section of the Department of education? That is a question that needs to be answered. The 2014 circular for SNA allocations must be revised explicitly to provide for children with emotional regulation needs. Any review cannot come before a pathway to reduction, or by stealth, which there was an attempt to impose here. When the Government says it was not, yes, it paused it but we all know that the SENOs had until 31 January to make sure the reports were in. They were in, and you could see what was coming. It is only because the public and the Opposition stood up and said, "Enough is enough". This is the way it has to be. There has to be accountability and transparency. The lesson is clear: without accountability and a circular that safeguards every child, this injustice will repeat itself and the Government will bear the shame. The Government has to take responsibility when it goes right but it also has to take responsibility when it goes wrong.

I do not know why anybody is surprised, if they are, at the ferocity of the backlash against this review. You are not paying attention if you were. We had the Green Paper withdrawn after a movement of disabled people. The referendum on care was defeated by disabled people. On school places, we have a had a mini-social movement in this country for the past three to four years, led primarily by women. Anyone who is surprised is ableist and not paying attention. There is an anti-ableist movement out there. Look how this whole building we are in is completely anti-disabled people. The Government saw an appalling vista. It saw the protests that immediately took place in St. John's school in Dublin and I commend those parents. Parents and workers working together is the solution here. I think the Government knew this was finished at that point. The circular that has been mentioned in regard to SNAs only delivering primary care needs is not even implemented in schools because we all know that SNAs are used for neurodivergent and autistic students or people with anxiety, mental health issues or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, ADHD. I went back to teaching after losing my seat the last time and I could see the importance of having SNAs in the classroom with me. I want to raise something controversial as well. I do not think SNAs should be moved around willy-nilly and redeployed. We should keep experience in schools. In regard to the idea that they will be filing their nails in the staff room if the pupil moves on, there is a massive shortage of SNAs as it is. There are 110 students in primary school in Dublin 15 who were classed as misplaced by the principals in the area. They could survive better if they all had SNAs. These SNAs, who are very often women but there are male SNAs as well, are, as usual, treated to insecure jobs, poor pay and moved around. That complete disregard for the work women do in our society has to change. On the 200 schools that got the notice, that was only a fraction because the review was not even finished. Some were going to lose half their SNAs. We have heard the guff about rebalancing support, and the big one the Government was saying on the television was that is "increasing SNAs overall". The population is increasing - of course the Government is increasing SNAs but the awareness of neurodiversity and disabled people's rights has increased massively in society, with more people getting a diagnosis and so on. We should also mark that the Government was willing to break with any sort of integration of students who are coping in mainstream with an SNA, and that it was diverting people towards special schools. That is a dangerous precedent. There is a need for special schools, of course, and I have campaigned for that but I refer to cases where it is not warranted. I also have to flag that secondary education is woefully deficient in catering for people with additional needs. There has been a campaign in primary but we are now getting parents demanding it, quite rightly, because their children fall off a cliff when they go into secondary that they are suddenly okay and can cope with everything. I also want to flag that we need occupational therapists, speech and language therapists and more teachers. People are talking about SNAs but there is a huge need for special education and learning support teachers. I want to raise a warning for the Minister of State that parents will not let the assessment of need go. The Government should keep its hands off them because I know the attempt is to dilute what they deliver and it will not be put up with.

Circular 0030/2014 states that an SNA facilitates attendance, minimises disruption to class and attends to primary care needs like feeding, toileting, medicine and mobility. On page 8, it says the role of an SNA is not to provide additional tuition. Show me an SNA in any special, autism or mainstream class around the country who is not providing additional tuition, especially if you go into a special class. You will see them providing one-to-one tuition. This circular is outdated and that is the crux of this problem. It was outdated 12 years ago when it was implemented and in the 20 years I have been supporting SNAs in the classroom, it has been outdated. For all of those years, they have been providing learning, behaviour, communication, social and emotional support. We have to acknowledge there has been improvement in those two decades. An SNA is no longer assigned to a specific student; they are now assigned to a full school. There has been a huge increase in support to now being 22,000 SNAs and in September, that will be 25,000. However, this past fortnight has been so confusing. It has caused uncertainty and trauma. The reviews should have waited for the SNA workforce development plan, the redeployment plan and the review but let us be positive. Let us use this as an opportunity to get this right, so that an SNA can look at their job description and feel that it reflects the work they are doing. They are the bridge between a child and their education and we have to use this increased funding at this time when the whole country has a sharp focus on this, to get the next circular right and ensure that an SNA's job description reflects the amazing work they are doing on the ground.

Last week's outcry shows just how highly SNAs are regarded not just by families who rely on them directly but by all families. It would be a mistake to move on too quickly without exploring reform or we risk ending up back here again. Equitable access to education is a value we hold dear. That is why there is such strong public support for building an inclusive education system. Where barriers exist and difficult decisions must be made, let us have those conversations honestly and openly. I visited a school in my constituency just weeks ago that was undergoing an SNA review. Staff spoke of their fear of cuts. My first instinct was to examine the figures that showed that at a Department level, there are no such cuts. Whole-time equivalents have increased from over 1,200 in 2024 to 1,700 in 2026. Yet, despite this growth in investment, supply is not keeping pace with demand. At a very basic level, if we open 300 new special classes in a single year with each requiring two SNAs, we need more than an increase of 117 whole-time equivalent SNAs to fulfil the needs of all children in our schools. At the same time, I recognise that every Department must operate within a budget. At the Oireachtas committee on education in November, concerns were raised with the NCSE about the new guidelines. SNAs are allocated to schools rather than to individual children, yet surely resources must follow genuine need. The 2014 circular defines the role of an SNA narrowly as primary care, but SNAs support a far wider range of needs. We cannot rely on an outdated circular to bridge the gap between policy and practice. Review processes, redeployment mechanisms and workforce planning must form part of a broader inclusion strategy. "Let us not waste a crisis" is the famous saying. Fixing the system requires change, processes and structures that work, so let us build them.

My mother was a special needs assistant. I remember her coming home every day and telling me how much she loved her job and the value she got from what she did with the students she was working with. I know first-hand exactly the love that SNAs have for their jobs. I know first-hand exactly what value they bring to the classrooms. I know first-hand how transformative they are in the lives of the students they work with. I also know, having visited many of the schools in my constituency of Dublin Mid-West, most recently Scoil Talbot in Clondalkin, that schools are evolving places. The vision set out in the circular from 2014 is not one that is visible on the ground in the schools that my colleagues and I visit on a regular basis. We need to reflect the fact there is now a diversity of needs in our classrooms that was not necessarily reflected in the circular of 2014. Access to an SNA is an enabler for many children in these situations, especially those with neurodivergent needs. This week, in Clondalkin, a mother who came to one of my clinics said that the reason she was able to go back to work was that her son had access to an SNA to allow him to take two movement breaks to regulate him during the day. He did not need access to a full-time SNA, but because of that fact, she was able to go back to work. She was able to ensure that he has access to a world-class education and will be able to fully attain his potential. That is why it is important we get the circular right on this occasion, that we get the redeployment model right on this occasion and that we update the vision of education set out in these circulars, so schools in my constituency and around the country are set up to succeed. It is also important we ensure, given the demographic pressures we are facing, that our secondary schools are set up with an adequate number of SNAs. We need to ensure that the new special schools we are establishing, including Lucan Community Special School in my constituency, have access to a number of SNAs to ensure a full school day, but also that schools have sufficient provision for incoming classes of junior infants, where they may not necessarily know the level of need. I look forward to reform in this area.

Cuirim fáilte roimh ráitis na nAirí faoin maoiniú breise de €19 milliún agus, mar aon leis sin, nach mbeidh laghdú ar líon na gcúntóirí riachtanas speisialta fud fad na tíre. Reference has been made throughout the debate to the amazing work that SNAs do. Having friends and family as SNAs, and being close to the schools in Kildare North, I see it first-hand. What I think we need to acknowledge is the number of children in education, both in the past and currently, who would not have gone through the education system if it were not for the SNAs they have. That is the critical importance of SNAs. They allow young people to reach their potential and, therefore, to contribute to society later on, and to have a full and fulfilling life. The circular of 2014 was also mentioned today, specifically part 30 on the primary care needs of a child. I know this circular has been updated, but that needs to be expedited. As the Minister of State is fully aware, the reality on the ground is that the work that SNAs do is not primarily what is set out in that circular. We need that to be reflective of the reality that SNAs experience on a daily basis. My speaking time is limited. My last point concerns the progression of SNAs from primary to secondary school. We have seen a huge amount of investment in SNAs, special classes and special schools at primary level. My fear is that we are going to come up against a crisis at secondary level in the years ahead. I ask the Minister of State to prepare for additional SNAs and special classes at secondary level.

Like my colleagues, I know first-hand the benefit that SNAs have had in my own family, and there are many others in my family who have worked as SNAs. That is why we, as Government TDs, when we voted for a programme for Government and for budgets, were pleased and proud to see increases in the number of SNAs. I can say clearly that we would not have voted either for a programme for Government or for budgets that saw a reduction in SNAs. Yet, last week, Government TDs and, it would appear, Ministers and the Taoiseach as well, were taken aback by correspondence from people who said their schools were losing large numbers of SNAs. I believe there is a question as to why the Government, a body of people who come into this House and support budgets, despite the implementation of that policy, found that the outcome was a reduction in SNAs. Of course, the people who received those letters thought there was a reduction because they were losing SNAs in their school. There was no context or wider discussion. My understanding is that only a certain number of schools were considered for the review while other schools were not considered. I ask how there can be a review that does not take into account all schools when trying to balance the use of SNAs across the system. There are serious governance and oversight issues here that we have to examine. How can a body like the NCSE issue letters to some schools that would see them losing multiple SNAs, and not realise the impact that would have? How could it apply the 2014 circular in the way it did? It would appear that in some parts of the country, it was very strictly interpreted, and in others, it was not. How could we have a situation where the NCSE would send out such correspondence, which has had such a profound impact on schools across the country, and the Government and those people who support the Government were taken by surprise? There is a serious issue around oversight and the operation of this review. The Government acted quickly, but it should never have happened in the first place.

Is cuid ríthábhachtach den phobal iad na cúntóirí riachtanas speisialta. Ceadaíonn na cúntóirí riachtanas speisialta do pháistí foghlaim agus fás. Another fine mess that the Government has created. I am genuinely here in disbelief at the absolute hack of the Government backbenchers, rambling in, every single one of them, pretending to be shocked at the implications of the budget that they bloody well voted for. I want to talk to the Ministers about a woman I know, Niamh, who is an SNA. I asked her how the Government made her feel because, ultimately, the Government is her employer. She asked me to tell the Ministers that they have kicked the can down the road. She is not stupid, and she knows what they are at. She asked me to let them know that this limbo and uncertainty is impacting, ultimately, on the students who need support, and on the whole classroom. This chaos caused by the Government has unearthed a problem that has always been there. There needs to be an overhaul. SNAs, teachers, students and families need certainty. A one-size-fits-all approach has not worked and will not work. There must be recognition for the actual work that SNAs do. They deserve respect. I agree with Niamh. A parent in my family wrote the following to me: We ALL know there is a serious lack of support for children with needs and their families in this country, so I cannot understand why more is not being done for them, never mind understanding the logic behind support being taken away! It is time to end the unrealistic idea that only children with significant primary care needs should have access to an SNA. My son could not function in school without access to his SNA (whom he shares with 4 other children) for his self-regulation, focus, helping with his peer/social relationships, essential movement breaks and [essential services within the classroom]. Another parent wrote: After CAMHS … deemed [my child] not severe enough to see [them] I like thousands of Irish Parents paid privately to get [an] assesment and recommendations in place for … school. My [child] requires movement breaks which the SNA provides. My [child] doesnt need 1 to 1 care. How is a teacher meant to manage a big class and provide the extra requirements for children with additional needs? I will address the remarks made by one of the Government backbenchers. She is not here now, but I am sure she will look back on it. She said - how does the phrase go? - "Let us not waste a crisis." You know what? Why does the Government not cause a bloody crisis in the first place? Do the Ministers understand the impact this has had on students, SNAs, teachers and the whole school community? Then the Ministers come in here and tell us black is white and that they are actually increasing the numbers. The letters are there. Teachers and principals have seen them and they have contacted us. The letters are telling them that the SNA they have at the moment will be gone. That is a cut in any person's language. Stop cutting SNAs and start respecting them.

I noticed over the last few days that senior Ministers are very fond of coming out and making announcements. Between watching television interviews and different commentaries on it, I notice the Minister of State, Deputy Moynihan, is being rolled out every time. Where is the senior Minister from Galway? She was good at coming out when the decision was being reversed. That the Minister of State had to do the batting for the last few days is very notable. This needs to be sorted. There are vulnerable children. Our Constitution says we will cherish all our children but, unfortunately, there seems to be a total disconnect in having this issue resolved. Once again, it is probably senior civil servants making decisions without having their eye on the ball. Do they have a child who needs an SNA in a school? A lot of them do not understand what they are doing. That is my honest opinion. We need to resolve the issue fast to give surety to parents around the country. I have spoken to the Minister of State about this a few times. There are schools that are appealing decisions. A principal in a school does not ring up a politician and say "Michael, we are in trouble here, we need an SNA and we are put under appeal and they seem to be bashing back at us." Principals in schools have plenty to do besides trying to fight battles constantly to get what they rightfully should get. I have seen in the likes of Threen, and places like it around the country, that principals had to get involved, do up the paperwork and try to appeal. They are not into the business of looking for something they do not need. They genuinely feel the need for it to help the future education of children. Every one of us knows that if children, especially those with autism, get the help between the ages of two and eight, they can go on and live a very fulfilled life. If they do not get that help, they have been let down by the State. I have said very clearly over the last number of years that kids have been failed by the State because in the system of diagnosis the HSE has had until now, people have had to wait for assessments to provide the pathway forward and do what needed to be done. We should make sure we put the resources in to help all those children for the future.

The senior Minister had to leave earlier because she is attending a meeting with the Taoiseach regarding the next business, which is a State apology. She referred to that as she left the Chamber. I would like that to be noted.

She was away all week.

There has been great frustration, as articulated by my colleagues, felt in communities across the country following the recent announced reviews of the special SNA allocations. That includes many schools in my constituency. One of the largest reductions was to be in St. Andrew's National School, but quite a few other schools were affected as well. Thankfully, that has been halted for now. The Government has repeatedly stated that the overall number of SNAs is increasing. In absolute terms, it is true that the national figure has gone up. However, that headline does not always reflect the lived reality in many schools that would have seen their allocations cut as a direct result of what appears to be a very arbitrary review which does not take the needs of the child into account. We can never pretend that a national increase is going to give that support on the ground. What matters to a parent or the child is whether the school has the staff numbers to meet their needs. Sometimes it is necessary to share an SNA and the nature of that sharing can change for day-to-day purposes. There are a lot of challenges for kids who require supports. Every time I have spoken with teachers, staff and parents, the same story is coming through. Children who previously had a dedicated support were being asked to share an SNA, were seeing the SNA being taken away or were being asked to do more with less, basically. The question is whether this new model the Government is articulating really is more equitable and focused on the needs of the child. If we are increasing the numbers, there should not be anyone seeing a decrease or anyone having to scramble for cover. Children have many complex diagnoses. We cannot suddenly say that a child does not need that level of support any more. If a review results in vulnerable children losing access to support, the model is not working. Maybe this pause or stop until the bigger picture is looked at next year shows that. In this context, I want to raise an issue. I am not absolutely sure how it is actually working. My understanding is that officials are going out and asking SNAs to tell them about their day. The SNA will say they put little Johnny's coat on, they had to bring little Jane to the toilet - just normal conversation. In doing so, it sometimes puts the school at risk because the reason a child requires an SNA in the first place is not taken into account. I would seriously question the reason SNAs are being asked about their day-to-day work when it is educational psychologists who assess a child's needs. The SNA is then allocated on the basis of the identified needs. SNAs, who have level 5 qualifications, often want to progress their career pathways but they are absolutely not educational psychologists. Interviewing SNAs is not the way to go, if that is the case. I call on the Minister and her colleagues in government to urgently revisit the allocations beyond 2027 so that nobody loses out the year after, and to engage meaningfully with the educators on the ground who understand the absolute and often urgent needs of the child.

SNAs are not add-ons in the education system. They are fundamentally important. They are enablers for so many children. They are the link to allow a student to access education, the bridge to get them over the barriers that so many students face. That is the reality. What the Government is doing, and what the circular and review have outlined, is reducing and narrowing the role of an SNA. The reality on the ground is that SNAs are providing many wonderful learning opportunities for children. To diminish that into just the primary and physical need, to reduce it to toileting and so on, is disingenuous and fundamentally unfair to the wonderful work that SNAs are doing. I urge the Minister to address the circular, refine the role, professionalise the SNA sector, and allow SNAs the training and opportunities to flourish in their role. It is a fundamentally important role and to reduce it is unfair to the children, the SNAs and indeed the entire school community. The review and circular do not take account of the student who has autism and may require additional regulation and sensory support. They do not take account of the student who has a specific learning difficulty like dyslexia and may need a little assistance in reading, writing and so on. It is the Minister's job now to ensure that the SNA circular reflects the job the SNA actually does on the ground. Any reduction or narrowing of the scope will not be accepted. It is incredible that it was the families and SNAs across the country who had to sound the alarm on this issue. The week before this news broke, I asked the Minister of State about the budget and the timelines for delivery of more SNAs and special education teachers. I outlined the difficulty so many families and special educational schools are facing. It seems the NCSE is actually steering the ship here. I urge the Minister to get in control of that agency and ensure families and children with disabilities are protected.

It has been a tough enough number of weeks for many families and school communities. I, like other Members of this House, have heard from parents across north Dublin who had serious and understandable concerns that their children would lose essential care and support ar scoil. While I welcome that this matter has been resolved for now, we must do better. There are clear lessons for the Government. It is not acceptable that parents of vulnerable children are left searching for answers online, on social media and listening to the radio about the future of their children's education. Communication from the Department and the NCSE was very poor at times throughout this process. We must try to make sure that does not happen again. That essential trust between an SNA and a child is invaluable for that child. It is built up over time and forms a central part of that child's school experience and broader life formation. While it is essential resources are allocated to where they are needed most, this must be planned in a structured and considered way. I welcome the commitments from the Minister of State and the Minister, Deputy Naughton, to engage directly with the school community on this. They are the people dealing directly with these realities every day. They must be central to any future decisions. We must ensure we get this right for children and families across the country.

I do not need to tell the Minister of State the upset this has caused. He will have heard it from his constituents, as well as Members of this House. I want to address the circular. It is deeply disrespectful the role SNAs play. It does not properly define the spectrum of issues they have to deal with. It does not address the various issues that prevent children in our schools from achieving their best possible outcomes and does not outline the basis on which every one of them should be addressed, rather than narrowing it down to a small number of criteria. I have a real concern that what we have seen in the past couple of weeks is symptomatic of an official view that we should be restricting access to special needs assistants, not broadening it. I asked questions in the House about how much it would cost to provide a special needs assistant in every classroom in the country. I am sorry to say I did not get the answer. The question was avoided in terms of how much it would cost. That is the level at which we should state our ambition as regards the provision we make for children. We know access to educational equality is hugely important from the point of view of future outcomes. I will repeat what has been said by various speakers in this debate about the importance of access for children, not because they somehow deserve something beyond but because they deserve it to put them on an equal footing with children who may not have the same challenges with accessing education. If we fail in that role, the problems created will manifest themselves in ten, 20 or 30 years' time through reduced educational attainment and much more serious problems if people are left out of the educational system. Let us make a serious and clear statement of intent. What we saw in terms of the resolution of the issue is not actually a resolution; it is a stopgap. I welcome that the Minister of State and the Minister listened to what Members of this House and people around this country had to say on this, in particular teachers. I had a meeting in my constituency earlier this week with perhaps two dozen principals of primary schools. These incredibly dedicated servants of their communities are delivering for all of us. One thing that came out of that meeting was they feel they are not believed or trusted. Some people in the room said they felt the Government does not trust them. I do not believe that is the case but I think officials in the Department do not trust them. When teachers and principals - highly trained individuals dedicated to the cause - say this is what they need, instead of accepting them at their word, there is a burdensome, bureaucratic process to second-guess that they have to say. Let us trust teachers and deliver for children.

It is regrettable that the debate has come about in this manner. We have all expressed an opinion as to how valuable SNAs are to children and the school system. That has been worthy of recognition before today. I had the privilege in my career of working with many SNAs. I have seen children thrive through their intervention. If I go back to the start of my teaching career, I think there were around 1,000 SNAs in the system at that point, which was in the early part of the century. We have since seen a 2,000% increase in the number of SNAs. That is because we all want to see our schools be more inclusive and we all have a desire to see children attend the local national school and participate fully in the life of the school there. In recognising that, we have to recognise there has also been a dramatic change in the needs of children. If you talk to any junior infant teacher in particular, they will tell you the profile of children enrolling now is very different from what it was a decade ago. As we have heard from lots of Members, the SNA circular that defines the role must be changed to recognise that increasingly diverse range of children enrolling in our schools and who we want to see attend local mainstream national schools. We have seen that through the demand for other complementary services, such as speech and language therapy and CAMHS services, and in the demand for NEPS assessments. That changing demand has to be recognised by increasing the number of teachers and SNAs. We cannot forget that we made a commitment to reduce the pupil-teacher ratio to 19:1 over the lifetime of this Government. We need to make good on that because it will facilitate greater inclusion in our schools. There has been a lot of comment Circular 0030/2014. I referred to this in the Chamber previously. We received a lot of correspondence from schools last September and October about this. I do not know if it is a circular. It is the NCSE guidelines for the review of SNA allocation. One thing that concerns me is NCSE reviews are conducted on a whole-school basis, combining a review of all SNA posts in a school. That rightly causes concern.

Deputies from around the House have been speaking about the importance of what SNAs provide in education settings for our most vulnerable students. As Deputy Connolly noted, it is very regrettable that we have ended up in this situation, where there is such anger and hurt. As a TD representing the people of Cork East who is conscious of the very good work SNAs do in our schools, I saw at first hand in my time in secondary and primary school SNAs being rolled out. I was born in 1997 so I got to see this. They make an enormous impact. A Minister of State is present in the Chamber and I know he is fully aware of how important the work SNAs do in a school is. I appreciate the chance to engage and speak with the Minister of State over the past couple of days about the concerns my constituents have. We heard the news, late in the day, that €19 million in funding has been made available. The communication errors that occurred and the stress this has caused for SNAs, school communities and those directly impacted, who are, of course, the children and their families, are unfortunate. We need to improve how we do these announcements and how these initiatives are taken. We also need to improve decision-making when it comes to who actually takes the decisions. Are Ministers informed by departmental officials and the relevant State agency in respect of what is actually happening in their Departments? This has to be put to bed once and for all. It is happening not alone in the Minister of State's Department but in many others. It is causing huge hurt and political problems for the Government.

Rather than adding to the contributions that have been made thus far, I will take the opportunity to read a letter from a child to an SNA: I wanted to say thank you. When I walk into school in the morning, I look for you first. When I see you, I feel calm. I know I am okay. Sometimes school feels very loud in my head. The classroom can be busy. The bell is noisy. People talk fast. Sometimes I don’t understand straight away. You help me. You help me remember what to do next. You help me when the words are hard. You help me when I feel wobbly inside. You don’t just sit beside me. You help me join in. When the other children are working, you help me do my work too. When I get stuck, you don’t rush me. When I feel sad, you notice. When I try something new, you smile at me like I just climbed a big mountain. Because of you, I am in my class with my friends. I get to learn. I get to laugh. I get to be part of everything. Without you, I think school would feel too big for me. I might feel lost. I might feel scared. I might not be able to stay. But with you, I feel brave. You help me show people what I can do — not just what I find hard. Thank you for helping me belong.

It is very hard to follow the words of a child who knows and tells us how important their SNAs are. That is why when we have this conversation and are having this debate, we need to thank our SNAs who are working tirelessly and often thanklessly to care for and support our children and children within our communities. SNAs are the reason children with additional needs can be educated with their friends within their communities in mainstream schools. The impact of a SNA's work is felt way beyond the classroom. We all have heard of the stories over the past number of weeks of the impact SNAs have had on so many of our constituents and that letter included. People have said they have been a credit to their health, happiness and success in adulthood. They credit their SNA for that. The reality is that SNAs are skilled professionals who work unbelievably hard in incredibly difficult circumstances and who deliver for our children. Over the past number of weeks, they have been treated disgracefully. It has been completely unfair the way SNAs have been treated over the past two weeks - for example, drip feeding information about cuts, making U-turns and not being clear as who is saying what. I have been confused. This has caused unbelievable upset and distress for parents, children, schools and SNAs. SNAs have been in touch with me. They have told me they are worried sick, not just about the future of their jobs, but the future of the children who they support. That is something that has been crucially important here. When we look at the mess over the past two weeks, we also need to look at the mess that has happened before this and the track record in relation to supporting SNAs in their careers. The SNA wages are below the living wage. There has been non-delivery on schools’ requests for additional SNAs. SNAs are financially vulnerable on insecure rolling job contracts. This all needs to be part of this conversation because it is a prime conversation right now. We need to be looking at all of this. From those who I have spoken to, they are not satisfied with the pause, review or whatever it is called at the moment. It is quite clear a fundamental problem remains. We need everybody in this Chamber to step up and deliver the real change that gives SNAs the rights, job security and pay they deserve. They have been crucial to so many of our children's success in every aspect of their lives.

Like all Members who have spoken before me, I too wish to express my gratitude to SNAs and, indeed, the whole school community team members, including the special education teachers. As a granddaughter, daughter and niece of primary teachers, I understand very well the complexities of what is involved in the State and the school community trying to meet our objectives under Articles 42 and 42A of Bunreacht na hÉireann, that is, to create an environment to enable learning by all children in the State at their level. I thank the staff and the chief executive of the NCSE offices, who similar to the parents and to the school communities, have endured quite a lot of anxiety, phone calls, communications and requests for information. To try to get to the nub of everything, I sought a meeting with the chief executive. He afforded me one on Monday last. At that meeting, I learnt quite a few important points that are important to share. There has been a lot of misinformation in this space. One point I learnt was that the toolkit, which is the root of the problem, is up for review. There has been extensive consultation. There was commitment by all parties, such as unions, school representative bodies, etc., to support the toolkit at the time. The important thing is it is being reviewed. The lessons that are to be learnt from this, and they are important lessons, are: accuracy of communication - establish the facts and make sure the facts are communicated accurately; ensure there is co-operation and collaboration by all parties - in this instance by the school community - before announcements are made; ensure the voices of all parties are heard; ensure the suggestions put forward are built into policy; again review policy on a continuous cycle; and then provide clear communication to the stakeholders. I cannot improve on what Deputy Roche said about the voice of the child. I am concerned when I look at the current iteration of the toolkit, which focuses on primary medical needs. They are important, vital, very bespoke and specialised in many cases. However, it is about the softer skills. It is about removing the anxiety, it is the friendly face, it is the encouragement, it is maybe pointing out a line, it is assisting with the holding of the pencil or it is whatever is appropriate to the child at that point. That is the role and the delivery of the support. I have an issue with the title SNA. They are all needs assistants. I am grateful to them but we must establish facts and have clear communication going forward.

Aontaím go hiomlán leis an méid a dúirt an Teachta Toole ar deireadh ansin. Bheadh sé i bhfad níos fearr dá mbeadh "all needs assistants" an t-ainm ar SNAs. Bhí mé i go leor scoileanna i mBaile Átha Cliath thuaidh. Má tá tú i scoil ar bith sa tír, feictear duit go ndéanann na daoine seo gach rud. Tá sé sin soiléir dom ó mo chuid ama féin sa scoil nuair a bhí mé óg, agus leis an méid atá tar éis teacht amach sa dá sheachtain tar éis an ruda seo. I welcome last night's confirmation by the Government but this should never have happened. The protest outside sends a clear message. A lot of SNAs in north Dublin are watching me now as I told them I would be speaking. They asked me to say the circular that still defines the role needs to change. That has been said across the House today. The Government committed to the update of the circular alongside the work force development plan. This work must be done properly and in consultation with SNAs and the voice of the child because they understand the reality on the ground. Right now, families are stretched in north Dublin, particularly in Dublin Bay North. Schools are under pressure. Inclusion is something we talk about in this House and it must be visible in our classrooms. I thank Minister of State again for his visit to St. Michael's House Special National School in Baldoyle yesterday. I have been to a few special schools across north Dublin with him. His hands on approach to children is commendable. He knows first hand this is needed. I wish him and the Department the best of luck getting this sorted as soon as possible. We owe it to the children to get this right. We owe it to the families who are fighting for the kids. Let us amend the circular. Let us reflect on the real scope of SNAs. Let us make sure every child gets the support they deserve.

I thank all Members who contributed to the debate over the past number of hours. It is a reflection of the commitment of all Deputies in relation to special education. The work in the communities was very much reflected in the contributions I have heard. Supporting children with additional education is very much at the core of the Government's values. We have put a huge amount of investment into it. Going back over many years, there has been huge investment in it. There has been unprecedented investment in special needs assistants and right across the education system. We have to make sure we are meeting the needs of the most vulnerable children. As I said on many occasions, whatever we invest in special education right across the special education sector, the State will benefit enormously in future life. We will be able to equip children with the best possible outcomes in life and they will be the best possible people they can be. It is important we continue to acknowledge that investment and make sure we are delivering it in the best place possible. Deputies will know that after intensive negotiations over the past weekend, there will be no SNA reductions for this year. If any school has identified a need for next year, the resources will be made available to them. That is hugely important. There is an old Irish saying that, "It takes a village to raise a child". It is hugely important we apply that to the school communities as well. School communities are made up of teachers, SNAs and other support staff. These SNAs provide absolute support for children. Many Members spoke about SNAs' dedication and commitment to their work. In talking to SNAs in the special schools and special classes I have been to right across the country, including St. Michael's House Special National School Baldoyle, which I visited yesterday, I thank them sincerely for the work they do. There is uniformity across the place in that they all say they love their jobs. We should acknowledge that and the role they play. Since my appointment last year, I have visited over 120 schools and I have seen the same level of commitment right across the country. The value we place on SNAs is second to none, as is the respect that I, the Government and all of us have for them. They are a crucial piece of the jigsaw in ensuring that children have the best possible outcomes. Three things came up constantly yesterday evening and again today. On the redeployment scheme, almost half of the Members who spoke mentioned the 2014 circular. We must be very mindful of the fact that the 2014 circular enabled us to grow the SNA workforce by 14,000 over 12 years. We must strengthen it and look at the concerns that are being raised but it is also important to acknowledge that there has been a huge expansion in the education system since that circular was issued. Concern was expressed in relation to the redeployment scheme and SNAs. The scheme has been talked about quite a lot. There have been a lot of intensive negotiations between the Department and the various stakeholders. We must bring that to a conclusion and finalise it. That is another crucial piece of the plan. SNAs deserve that. It is a commitment in the programme for Government and has been committed to elsewhere. Of course, it was being worked on before but we now have to complete that piece of work. There has been huge engagement on the workforce development plan between all concerned. There is a myth out there that there has been no engagement. We know what is happening in schools. We know the need that is manifesting itself and how we are going to meet it. I assure the House that Government knows and is working on it tooth and nail. In the context of all of the correspondence, the negotiations and everything that has been said over the week, it is important to note that we are increasing the workforce by 1,700 again this year. It is important that we understand and note that. All of us bring a level of expertise from our own personal journeys to this House. During the debate today, a text came in, as it does every day at 2.35 p.m. It just says "great day" or "good day". That is the information the special needs assistant feeds back to our family. That is the information that every family who has a child with additional needs is getting. That is the respect the families have. I want to thank each and every one of the nearly 25,000 SNAs who work the length and breadth of the country for their commitment. We should look at how special education has been funded over the last 15, 20 or 25 years, at the commitment being given to teachers and SNAs and, more importantly, at the governments that have continuously invested in the area. There will always be challenges. This year alone, there is a challenge arising from the huge numbers that have come forward. However, as we did last year, we will work every single hour that God gives us to do the right thing by the children and the families and by the teachers and the SNAs who support them. If we do that right and if we put investment into special education, when we look at our society in 20 or 25 years' time, we will see that investment having reaped a positive reward. I assure the House that we get this. We understand it. We are going to make sure we have the best possible system of special education into the future.