'Clear as muck': Government slammed for confusion over SNA roles

Michael Moynihan would not say when the review would be completed (Brian Lawless/PA)

There is “no point” in announcing a target completion for a review of special needs assistant (SNA) allocations, a minister with responsibility has said.

Minister of State for special education Michael Moynihan repeatedly refused on Friday to say when an ongoing SNA review would be finished, amid schools’ concerns that their allocation could be cut in September.

Mr Moynihan also refused to say if he expected any schools to lose SNAs.

The department of education “paused” a review of allocations after a public backlash and outcry from opposition TDs, teachers, parents and trade unions.

There will be no decisions made, the entire process is paused

It came after the National Council for Special Education issued letters to several schools advising them that they could lose part of their SNA allocation.

Mr Moynihan said the communication was “wrong” and there was a need “for a far better system”.

He said the department said it would engage intensively with schools individually.

Mr Moynihan said: “We cannot proceed with this because the (school) system does not have confidence in it.”

Asked if any school would lose an SNA in September, Mr Moynihan said: “The process is now paused.”

He said the department would ensure there is “no cliff edge”.

He told RTE’s Morning Ireland: “There will be no decisions made, the entire process is paused which means whatever communication there was heretofore, there will be new communication.”

Pressed on whether that means the notified schools would not lose SNAs, Mr Moynihan reiterated that the process had been paused.

After initially stating that the process would be done in “a number of weeks” and “as soon as possible”, Mr Moynihan declined to give a specific date.

“There’s no point coming out and saying to you it will be done in a number of days, a number of weeks – it will be done properly.”

The minister repeatedly refused to say if any schools would lose SNAs or how many positions would be redeployed.

He said: “Let me be very clear, right? We have paused the entire process so therefore until that process is completely reviewed we will not be scaremongering, we will engage meticulously with all school communities and families that have contacted us.”

However, he said schools who had been told they would get an additional allocation would still receive that support.

“We’re increasing the number of SNAs.”

In response, Sinn Féin accused the Government of "making it up as they go along", saying that Mr Moynihan had "simply refused to give clarity and answer basic questions".

The party's deputy leader Pearse Doherty said this was a crisis of the Government's own making "where they have sowed confusion and distraught amongst the education community with SNAs and with parents with additional needs".

Mr Doherty said that "what people are demanding is the government answer a very simple question".

"That is; will every school who has access to an SNA and every child who has additional needs, will they have that SNA support come September? 

"And the government need to set that out very clearly that that position will remain. Their flawed process has caused massive, massive confusion, massive, massive anger, and these parents, parents with children of additional needs, already have to navigate a system of complex needs, battling for their child since they were knee high, fighting the system, and now they should not have to battle government's confusion and misrepresentation of what's happening."

The Dáil will next week debate a Sinn Féin motion on the issue, brought forward by party spokesperson on Education, Darren O’Rourke TD, and spokesperson on Special Education, Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh.

That motion condemns the Government for "inflicting profound distress and anxiety on vulnerable children, their families, and school communities through a rigid, clinical, and deeply flawed interpretation of care needs criteria that reduces children to a checklist of tasks" and "heartlessly removing SNA supports from students whose needs have not diminished".

Labour education spokesperson Eoghan Kenny called on Government to "provide immediate clarity" to schools, SNAs and families and said that the appearance by Minister Moynihan on Morning Ireland "has only deepened uncertainty".

"The Minister was as clear as muck and could not confirm the length of this so-called pause on the review. He could not tell schools whether they will lose SNAs or what the timeframe is for decisions that will directly impact children with additional needs."

The Social Democrats spokesperson for children Aidan Farrelly called the situation "a shambles".