Dempsey hits back on special needs funding

MINISTER for Education Noel Dempsey yesterday defended his track record on special needs education as parents protested about cutbacks.

Strongly rejecting claims of cutbacks in the provision of resources for children with special needs, he pointed to dramatic funding increases in recent years.

€Funding for special needs education, he said, had increased from €635,000 in 1998 to 3.26 million this year.

However, his claim fell on deaf ears as opposition politicians joined parents and support groups in a protest yesterday at the Department of Education offices in Athlone.

Fine Gael’s Olwyn Enright said huge cutbacks in special needs education were prevalent on several fronts, especially in the reduction of special needs assistants in schools and home tuition grants. The Laois-Offaly TD also claimed the National Educational Psychological Service did not cover up to 70% of schools.

She said parents and their children with special needs were being “let down on a daily basis by the Department of Education”.

Deirdre Carroll, general secretary of special needs umbrella group NAMHI, accused the Government of being short-sighted.

Two key pieces of legislation, the Education for Persons with Disabilities Bill, currently going through its second stage in the Dáil, and the proposed Rights Bill being introduced by the Department of Justice, will force the Government to honour its commitment to special needs children, Ms Carroll said.

“I believe part of the problem with the cutbacks is the department’s own section, dealing with special needs, is lacking in resources,” she claimed.

Fine Gael deputy David Staunton told the protesters the cutbacks were a scandal.

“As a former teacher, I believe it would be in everyone’s interest, the Government’s and children with special needs, that proper support systems are put in place as soon as possible.

“Having fully-resourced services will make a huge difference to the future education and quality of life for children with special needs.” the Fine Gael TD said.

Mr Dempsey, however, said the significant growth in special needs provision was underlined by the increase of resource teachers from 104 in 1998 to more than 2,300 this year, while special needs assistants over the same period rose from 300 to 4,239 full-time and a further 1,264 part-time.

The minister said the allocations for part-time tuition services, special transport and escort services together with special classes, special schools and special equipment, also increased dramatically.

He insisted that a circular issued to all national schools in September 2003 did not propose any cut in resources, but required schools to take full account of the resources before applying for more. “Any other approach would be neither appropriate nor sustainable,” Mr Dempsey said.