‘Education should get money, not legal fees’

TAXPAYERS’ money should be spent providing education for children with disabilities instead of the €11 million paid in legal fees of families going to court to seek services, the Labour Party said yesterday.

Department of Education figures show that between 2003 and 2007, €11.2m was paid in legal fees to solicitors for children with special educational needs and ex-gratia payments of another €1.3m were made in the same five years.

However, Labour equality spokeswoman Kathleen Lynch, who received the information in a Dáil response from Education Minister Mary Hanafin, said no account is given of the State’s legal costs, which are absorbed by the Chief State Solicitor’s office.