Danny Healy-Rae: Demands Funding Not Reports for Special Needs
Danny Healy-Rae urged the minister to prioritise funding and immediate action for children with special needs, rejecting further reports as a solution. He called for more specialist teachers, additional places and a faster assessment of needs process, stressing early intervention and noting Kerry is badly affected.
He insisted that parents carrying the burden of caring for children with special needs need resources now, not more reports. He argued that families would prefer a problem to be fixed for their child rather than carry the stigma and that what is required is funding to provide support.
He said the system needs more specialist teachers and more places available for children with additional needs. The speech emphasised practical resourcing as the priority to meet demand and deliver services to children who require them.
He pressed for the assessment of needs process to be hurried and sped up, arguing that early intervention is paramount. He framed faster assessments as essential to addressing children's needs at the youngest possible age.
He noted that Kerry appears to be hit very badly and highlighted local representations on the issue. He appealed directly to the minister responsible for the portfolio, saying he was depending on the minister to take action and explicitly stating he did not want another report.
Main demand - Funding over reports
He insisted that parents carrying the burden of caring for children with special needs need resources now, not more reports. He argued that families would prefer a problem to be fixed for their child rather than carry the stigma and that what is required is funding to provide support.
Staffing and places required
He said the system needs more specialist teachers and more places available for children with additional needs. The speech emphasised practical resourcing as the priority to meet demand and deliver services to children who require them.
Assessment process and early intervention
He pressed for the assessment of needs process to be hurried and sped up, arguing that early intervention is paramount. He framed faster assessments as essential to addressing children's needs at the youngest possible age.
Local impact and direct appeal to the minister
He noted that Kerry appears to be hit very badly and highlighted local representations on the issue. He appealed directly to the minister responsible for the portfolio, saying he was depending on the minister to take action and explicitly stating he did not want another report.
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Transcript
to get the opportunity, and I suppose, Minister, we all know that when the child presents with special needs and needs special assistance, it places a massive burden on the parents of those children. The parents themselves would prefer to see something wrong with their self than rather their child that's starting life. And you and me know we don't need reports, what we do need is funding. We need more specialist teachers, we need more places available, we need to hurry on the assessment of needs process and to speed it up because early intervention is paramount in dealing with these children and it needs to be addressed at the youngest as possible. We in Kerry seem to be hit very bad. Minister, we are only back the road from you and I'm sure we all get representations and you know the story and I'm depending on you, I'm not saying much about the report because we don't need the report, what we need is action and I'm depending on you as Minister for this portfolio to carry out that action and I'm asking you to do your best as I know you will and I'm appealing to you. I do not want to mention the report. I've been thinking about the difference between three people and three people. Where do you want to carry out those children? Well, let me try. You will be thinking about the fact that you can do this. Let me just remember. I think about myself, you know, they've been able to pull up some of those children of the people who have been in jail or the rest of the world. Because of the fact that you have to be a major part of the period, I've been reading on my mind that you can use the pop-up. I think about moving, I think about that.