Mattie McGrath says Bill fails to guarantee school places

I am glad to be able to speak in this legislation here today. The business committee and everybody involved in the House and the Bill's office and everybody who organised today is sitting and acquisted and supported in any way. Very, very important. And the Port Ministers for coming here today and staying here, which is very important to us groups that are normally at the end. And we do appreciate that. The Bill represents in the government's own words. emergency legislation that will be enacted and aims to ensure there will be school places for more than 100 children with special education needs for the coming school year. However, despite this Bill and the hype surrounding it, both Responsive Ministers, Foley and Madigan, were unable to guarantee that all children who require an appropriate school place that meet their assessed needs will have one in time for September. There is a Times headline on the subject to encapsulate the grave shortcomings and points to let another sloppy policy approach to a long-standing problem which is impacting Ireland's most vulnerable children. As I said, therefore, how could the Cabinet in good conscience last Tuesday approved this Bill 2022, which aims to compel schools to open special classes within six to eight weeks, but will only provide places for some of the eligible children. How can the schools with inadequate resources be compelled to open up places, for example? There are lots of complex issues. There are lots of complex issues why schools, and as we heard this morning from deputies that know that area, those schools are offering different aspects of special education. But to be naming them and threatening them and giving their names to the press, I think is a retrograde step. Because we must bring people together. And we must try and unite the communities. Because I can tell you from the point of view of a small rule of schools, it is a daunting task. Thankfully, we're over that now. People don't understand the special needs requirements. People don't understand the special needs requirements. Not that they understand the minutiae, but they understand the need for them and have accepted them in the main. Maybe ten years ago they didn't. And now they do. And that's very, very welcome. So we must work with the campaigners that are in this area as well. So as I said, the process can be so unwieldy. So unwieldy. And the waiting list for children to be diagnosed and the waiting list for you name a plethora of different reasons for the most vulnerable children and the frustration on the children, first of all, and then and the parents and their extended siblings. And, of course, and the whole family and the whole family and the wider community. If the diagnosis can be achieved, attained, and indeed a diagnosis reached that, it lessens the load. You know where you're going. You know what the requirements are. At least you can focus your attention on the diagnosis that you've got. And so, so, so, so important. So, as I said, we must work with the schools. We must work with the senos. We need more of them. And we need to have a better engagement from your department. And take the school principal, then, and board of management. In our own case, in Cosla and Niwa, and indeed many other cases. The school principal, then becomes, and my colleague here, a near principal, Previdda, in school, would know much more than I do about this. And we, they must then become builders, designers, architects, literally forming on sites, and, above all, egg lake and go home, and the phone night and day to try and get builders, try and get engagement with the architects, try and get engagement sometimes with an extra site, extra space. And, above all, bring that school community, bring that school teaching and the SNAs and teaching colleagues and the whole board with them on that. So, it's a daunting task, and I salute them, each and every one of them, many who I don't know, for doing that, because it's not easy, it's not simple. But, as I said, the architects need to step up to the place here. The Department of Education need to loosen the shackles here. And where we have some excellent architects in Tipperary, in Tullis, a team of them, writing letters into the department is like writing to Disneyland. At least you get a reply from Disneyland. There's no engagement. And then, they might, maybe six or eight months later, try and come back and say they didn't get the letter. All isn't well in the building section and design section in the department, and you need to sort that out, because those are public officials, have a job to do, and they should put the children of special needs first. All children entitled under a constitution to equal, to proper education. Yes, the existing process can take up to 18 months, but any solution must be inclusive and equal for all children, and this bill is not fully inclusive. The bill itself does not offer the hope that these families deserve. As I said, campaigners continue to argue that many, many more children than the maximum of 100 covered in this bill are not included with the scope of the bill. The education provision in respect of children with special education needs, bill 2022, will allow the minister to direct the school to open a special class within six to eight weeks of receiving a report from the National Council for Special Education, NCSE, setting out in its opinion that there are inter-affirational school places in certain areas. Take for Carrick and Shure, for instance, a great town, no schools there. Children have raised this here, and so forth. When we raise it here, and you get a reply from the chiefs or Thornish or whoever sitting in for them. Everything is being done, and the minister is dealing with this, but it is not. They have to travel 13-40 kilometres to get a place for school. Some of them may not have transport, as we have heard from other deputies, and even if they have, it is a daunting task, and thorough so far so, for those with special needs. It is awful, and there should be something near them. The current Section 37A process can take between 12 to 18 months to the school place. And, as I said, the shortening process set out in this bill, allows two opportunities for schools and patrons to make representation to the minister. So, as I said, they will make the representation, and they will make them to all Tocli Dali and Shanna Dori and Dini and Mershin. But we must get engagement, and it is a two-way street. And if a community and the school board and principal and all the teachers decide to go this road, they are open realms. We must be welcomed, and we must support them, and nurture them, not frustrate them, and delay them, and obfuscate them, and make the process more difficult. Remember children with special needs. I hear so much nowadays about different types of education coming in, and we must be open and transparent. But if we cannot deal with this first, the children that we have present, who have the special needs, and who are waiting for diagnosis, as I said, forever. And then when they have them, they are challenged in a fight all the way. My late brother was a paediatrician of some renown, late Dr Eddie McGraw, and he fought like a tiger for these children with so many special needs that they would get their rightful place. And he did, but he asked me to get elected and try and further the cause of these particular children. They are entitled to it. They deserve it, and they deserve to be treated equal and right and treated properly. And I am asking the board ministers to please look into their department officials and see. And just my fucking score, if you will allow me, he is wonderful, he is an awfully man, a coney, a tip of dawn, Kevin Langton, a principal in school. He is celebrating his 50th birthday today as well. I want to wish him well, an excellent, hardworking, diligent motor. Thank you very much. Thank you.