Government accused of hypocrisy over changing views on SNA restrictions

The Government has been accused of hypocrisy over ministers’ changing opinions on restricting numbers of special needs assistants (SNAs) in schools for children with disabilities.

Education Minister Ruairi Quinn insisted to parents and disability groups on Wednesday that there would be no change to the number of SNAs in September and every child who needs their help will have it next September. He was responding to claims that continuing to cap SNA numbers at 10,575, while numbers who get their help are up 10% to 22,000, actually means reduced individual help.

But in December 2010, Ruairi Quinn reacted angrily to the introduction of the cap by his ministerial predecessor Fianna Fáil’s Mary Coughlan.

“The government has also put a cap on the number of Special Needs Assistants .... Children with special educational needs will not receive the help they deserve,” Mr Quinn said in a statement reacting to Budget 2011.

As highlighted in the Irish Examiner, Minister of State Brian Hayes insisted last weekend — before Mr Quinn got approval to reverse his proposed 12% cut to resource teaching hours for special needs pupils — that SNA provision would remain the same despite parents’ saying children will not have their care needs properly met in schools.

But proposing a Fine Gael motion opposing an ongoing Department of Education review of SNAs in March 2010, Mr Hayes insisted children were having supports removed or reduced, and asked “is it not morally indefensible that the Government stands over the abolition of SNAs to the most vulnerable children in Irish education?”.

In the same debate in 2010, current health minister, James Reilly, insisted the then government was depriving parents and children of the same opportunity he had given two children of his own with disabilities because he could afford the resources.

“Not alone is it cruel, unkind, immoral and unethical, it is also penny wise and pound foolish. For many of the children in question, retaining the SNAs could be the difference between an independent life and a life under State care. Not doing so is reprehensible,” he told the Dáil.

Sinn Féin education spokesman Jonathan O’Brien said he agrees with what the three ministers said in opposition, but it shows how politicians change the minute they walk into Government buildings.

“It’s like they walk through one of those scanners at an airport and it just erases their memory. Minister Quinn rightly says there’s no cut in the number of SNAs, but when more children need their support, there is less access to go around for each individual child,” he said.

“I agree that the model of allocation of SNAs and resource teachers must be reviewed. But schools shouldn’t be the ones having to make hard choices on who gets what when they cater for more special needs pupils,” Mr O’Brien said.