O’Keeffe accused of dishonesty over cuts

Fine Gael is accusing Education Minister Batt O'Keeffe of being dishonest about cuts in special needs education.

The party says documents sent to An Bord Snip by the Department of Education reveal that 200 additional teachers are needed under the General Allocation Model.

The documents were sent despite the fact that Minister O'Keeffe said students with mild learning disabilities who are returned to mainstream classes would be provided with additional teaching supports through this model.

Fine Gael education spokesperson Brian Hayes says the minister's statements are completely at variance with the views of his own department.