Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 8 May 2024

I want to bring forward this issue today about Charleville National School. It really is an emergency situation. Accommodation has been approved for two modular units, which will consist of a special education room, a classroom and a special tuition room. I say it is an emergency situation because the school will not be able to open in September if the modular accommodation is not in place. The school will have 12 pupils with autism attending in September. There is absolutely no room for these children - no sensory area, no soft play area. It is of huge concern. There is also one mainstream class within the school that actually has no classroom. The school authorities are trying to improvise every way they can and I commend them on that. It is an excellent school, but it really needs assistance at this stage. The rooms that are to be used are for the mainstream classroom, a special education room and a special tuition room. That is what the modular units will be used for. It really is an urgent situation.

The project viability report was submitted by the school authorities. They have worked very hard on this project with officials from the Department of Education. I just want to again emphasise that the reason for raising this matter is there are health and safety issues. There will be more health and safety issues in September, which will lead to a situation where they will not be able to open, should there be any further delays with the modular units. I implore the Minister of State to do all he can. I am grateful that he is taking this matter tonight. Everything possible should be done to make sure that urgent assistance is given in speeding up the delivery of these modular units, and to have them on-site for September, which is not too long away at this point. I ask the Minister of State for an update and indeed to give assistance to the school in respect of this project.

I thank the Deputy for raising this matter as it provides me with the opportunity to outline to the House on behalf of the Minister for Education, Deputy Foley, the current position relating to a capital project to deliver additional accommodation for Charleville National School under the Department’s special educational needs, SEN, reconfiguration and modular accommodation programme. The school authorities of Charleville National School applied to the Department for additional accommodation under the additional school accommodation scheme to cater for increased enrolment. Approval was granted to the school authority recently for one special educational needs classroom, one mainstream classroom and one special education tuition room. The project as outlined is being delivered under the Department’s devolved SEN reconfiguration and modular accommodation programme. This programme adds an additional stream of delivery under the additional school accommodation scheme, which allows school authorities the choice of managing the project solely as client with access to the Department’s frameworks, or to avail of the services of a project manager under the Department’s project management framework. The appointment of a project manager to a project supports accelerated delivery of the accommodation and maximises assistance to the school authorities for the brief outlined.

The school authorities of Charleville National School have chosen to access the services of Rogerson Reddan as project manager for this project. The project will be delivered from the Department's procurement frameworks of which there are two, the modular accommodation framework for the provision of modular accommodation from several manufacturers nationwide and the term maintenance framework that allows school authorities access to several contractors also for reconfiguration elements of a project.

I am pleased to advise that the project for Charleville National School has entered the delivery phase. A signed form of acceptance from the school authority was received by officials on 24 April last. The school authority in conjunction with their project manager can appoint contractors and works can commence. However, it is important to outline that the overall construction sector environment is challenging, and the Department and the project management company are doing everything possible to ensure that the appropriate accommodation is delivered as quickly as possible. The Department is fully aware of the urgency in respect of same. The school authorities have overall responsibility for delivery of the project. Officials from the Department of Education hold weekly meetings with the assigned project managers to ensure the project remains on track for delivery and will ensure that the school authorities are updated regularly on overall project delivery and timelines.

I thank the Minister of State for that information and indeed the constructive and positive response. Again, I stress that it is absolutely vital that the modular units are delivered on time for September. I welcome the fact that there will be weekly meetings regarding the project to ensure that it is moving and on track. I also welcome the fact that it has entered the delivery phase. That is certainly progress but the clock is ticking. September is not too far away and the school finds itself in a precarious situation that it really wants to avoid of not being able to open its doors in September. That is very understandable given the health and safety issues and indeed the flight risk posed by some of the pupils who have autism. All of that has to be factored in, hence the urgency and the emergency situation. It should also be noted that the school is in the town of Tullamore so it has done everything possible to accommodate students. It has absolutely gone out of its way to make sure that students who come looking for places are accommodated. That is why it really does need every assistance possible. It should also be noted that it has 62 pupils who need English as an additional language, EAL, tuition and they also have no classroom. We have a situation where the autistic pupils have no classroom, a mainstream class has no actual classroom and also 62 EAL students have no classroom.

It really is urgent and I would hope that the two modular units that I understand will be divided into three for these classrooms will be in place by September. I look forward to engaging further with the Minister for Education in this respect.

I again thank Deputy Nolan for raising this important matter on behalf of Charleville National School and for giving me the opportunity again to reassure the House that the Department of Education is committed to the accelerated provision of this modular accommodation to meet the urgent school accommodation needs. It is important that the officials in the Department of Education continue to work closely with the school authority and the assigned project manager to ensure timely delivery of this accommodation, as the Deputy specified earlier.

We cannot have a situation where the 12 students, as the Deputy said earlier, would be at a disadvantage. I am informed the project manager has already visited the school on several occasions and has prepared a viability report that has been approved by the Department. The report identifies the best accommodation solution possible. Following the engagement with the Deputy this evening, I will reaffirm the position and the urgency in this regard with the Minister, Deputy Foley, and ensure that her officials are aware the Deputy has again raised the matter here on the floor of the Dáil.

I thank the Minister of State for taking this Topical Issue matter this evening. Tubber is a very small village situated right on the Clare-Galway border. It is a few kilometres south of Gort and a few kilometres north of Crusheen. It is a beautiful village. I am sure that as a Mayo man, the Minister of State can almost imagine how rural, scenic and beautiful Tubber is. In 1852, like many other villages in Ireland, Tubber had its bricks-and-mortar school built. It is a beautiful school. At the time in 1852, there were 100 pupils enrolled. An inspection at the time by the then-equivalent of the Department of Education confirmed that reading, writing, Irish, of course, arithmetic, geography and history were being taught to a high level to the 100 pupils there. It can be imagined that when the schoolmaster went out and rang the bell in the 1850s, the children went out and played safely on the road.

That was the 1850s, and things have changed drastically since then. Good and all as Tubber school has been and the incredible service it has given to the community, the current building has run its course. It is a really old, antiquated structure. This situation has become very stark lately because things like the sewerage system are starting to give major trouble. The school also needs special education classrooms and facilities like this, which a modern school would have. There is no space in the current location. It is hemmed in on a triangular site by two very busy roads. These are the same roads that were there in 1852, but both of them are now very busy. It is quite dangerous to drop children off at school. Owing to the nature of the site, there is very little space for that school to expand.

For the past three years, therefore, I have been engaging extensively, sometimes daily, with the wonderful principal there, Patricia Lee. I believe she has tuned in to watch this debate tonight, as has the deputy principal, Michelle Davoren. They work out of two classrooms. I will help us visualise the set-up. These classrooms are very small, probably even a little bit smaller than the area in the Dáil Chamber where the Government representatives sit. The secretary, SET, etc., are all in the adjacent room. Everything is crammed in. People eat their lunches off photocopiers, pack away after lunch and then try to teach kids around the photocopier. I was a schoolteacher for 16 years and I am still a member of the INTO. I have never, however, seen a school like this one in my county.

I, therefore, put down this Topical Issue matter. Like all good politicians, I did a lot of leg work today. I was over and back with the Minister, Deputy Foley. I then received a wonderful phone call to say there was good news and there was going to be an announcement that Tubber National School would get two 80 m. sq. classrooms, a new staff room and a new SET room, all of which the people involved have been crying out for. This accommodation will have to move across the road because there is no room at the current site. To begin with, these new rooms will be modular. We all believe, though, that this is the start of the pathway to a bricks-and-mortar building to replace the one that has been there since 1852.

I wish to thank the Minister, Deputy Foley, on the record for this really good news today. It is going down so well with the school community there. I have been in contact with Patricia Lee, the principal, and Michelle Davoren, the deputy principal. I also acknowledge another person who has played a significant role in this regard, namely, Councillor Joe Killeen, my party colleague. Many people might know that Joe was a former teacher and principal and president of the INTO. He has doggedly campaigned for this new accommodation too.

We would love to get a bit of detail now from the Minister of State on when this project will happen. We had this announcement today from the Minister and it is going down so well with the school community. It has been welcomed and many people have tuned in to watch this debate. We would, however, love to get some of the detail on when this provision of new accommodation will happen and what will happen next. Can the school have a more expansive enrolment for September 2024 or would this be getting a little too far ahead of ourselves? A little bit of detail on the bricks-and-mortar building that we are really looking for, ultimately, would also be appreciated. Unlike some of the other speakers, I appreciate what the Minister of State is doing in this Department and I look forward to a positive reply.

Go raibh maith agat. I thank the Deputy for raising this important matter and for providing the opportunity to outline to the House the current position with Tubber National School on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Foley. Deputy Crowe has been a real advocate in relation to the concerns and issues raised in his own constituency in County Clare. I refer to the current position of an application for a capital project to deliver additional accommodation for Tubber National School in County Clare.

The school authority of Tubber National School applied to the Department of Education in September 2022. Initial approval was received for additional accommodation under the additional school accommodation, ASA, scheme. I am pleased to announce that this project has now been approved to move to the delivery stage. The school authority will be notified shortly of the next steps in relation to the progression of this project.

The accommodation approved is for the delivery of two mainstream classrooms, one speciation education tuition room, an office-reception room and a staff room. The project as outlined is being delivered under the Department’s devolved SEN reconfiguration and modular accommodation programme. As I said earlier, this programme adds an additional stream of delivery under the additional school accommodation scheme, which allows school authorities access to the Department’s frameworks. The accommodation for Tubber National School will be provided in a modular building from a manufacturer appointed by the Department of Education’s modular accommodation framework. The use of the Department's modular accommodation framework assists in ensuring lead-in periods for the procurement of modular accommodation are minimised to the greatest extent possible. To date, this has worked very well in the education sector and has seen the delivery of large-scale, high-quality modular accommodation to meet the needs of children, particularly those with special educational needs.

Projects delivered under the scheme are devolved to school authorities under the terms and conditions of the scheme and it is a matter for schools to progress these projects on that basis subject to Departmental review at various points in the process. The Department is fully aware of the need for urgency in respect of Tubber National School. As I said earlier, the school authority has overall responsibility and officials from the Department of Education will work closely with the school authority and its consultant to ensure there is timely delivery of this much-needed accommodation.

I thank the Minister of State for that good, positive response. It is in line with what the Minister, Deputy Foley, communicated to me earlier. It is really good news.

I have a few points to make. I will not name a Department official because it is not fair to do so in this Chamber but there is one official who has been outstanding on this matter. I and the school have plagued him about this project and he has always been very positive and engaging and I believe he has helped to get this project to this point.

Just so that everyone in Tubber is aware, the accommodation that will be delivered will be modular. There will be two classrooms, the reception area, the SET room and the staff room. It is a very welcome step. This is an upgrade on the old 1852 building that was built just after the Famine. The school has been there for what seems like forever and now it will be moving to this new facility whenever it is delivered. It is important, however, that this development is recognised as a stepping stone to the construction of a permanent building. I do not mean to sound any bum notes when it is all good news, but this must be a stepping stone to delivering a bricks-and-mortar building. In that regard, I appeal to the Minister to engage with Patricia Lee, the principal, and her board of management to ensure there is a pathway progressing beyond this modular construction to ensure we get to that point. I say this because, inevitably, when one campaign gets closed out and delivered, the next question gets asked.

That is really the detail I would love to hear a bit more on. I understand we have only had the announcement today. We have no delivery date for the modular unit yet but that really needs to be expedited. I was over and back with the school on this, but a letter was lodged with the Department which would suggest there are particularly severe and extenuating problems with the sewerage system there. This is not a "sit back and we will get there eventually" situation. This school - I would say above other schools in the county and country - urgently needs this accommodation now. Any news on the bricks and mortar would be really welcome. Maybe that news is not there yet but that has to be part of the discourse on what is largely a positive day.

I thank Deputy Crowe for his engagement and passion to see that this project is delivered in a timely manner. I can confirm that Tubber National School is due to receive a capital grant approval in the coming days for the initiation of the delivery phase. The next step in the process will be for the school authorities to again engage with the consultant and with the approved appointed modular contractor to discuss detailed design. The Department will organise a meeting to help to initiate this project.

In the wider context, I reaffirm my commitment to bring a message back to the Minister, Deputy Foley, around the urgent need for modular accommodation for Tubber National School and to ensure her officials in the Department will work effectively with the school authorities to progress this matter immediately.

The previous point raised around issues with the sewerage system is really important. There is a note here on the delays they have encountered and the reasons for those delays. I hope the Department is in a position to put in place an effective solution to this and to allow the project to progress with pace.

I thank the office of the Ceann Comhairle for selecting this Topical Issue and the Minister of State for being here this evening. I have been raising this matter consistently since 2016. I raised it in a Topical Issue debate here on 30 May 2023. I also raised it with the Tánaiste on 18 April last. Since 2016, on and off, we have had a boil water notice affecting up to 10,000 people in my constituency. The last boil water notice was issued on 29 October 2022 and remains in place. This means that families and people living in the area are advised to boil water or buy water. I did a rough calculation today which I am sure the Minister of State will be interested in. The average cost of a 5 l bottle of water is €1.45. Men are advised to consume 3 l daily, which is a yearly cost of €317, and women are advised to consume 2 l daily, which is €211 a year. If there are two children under 14 in the family, that costs another €110 a year. That comes to almost €900 for a family of four if they purchase the water. To boil it, it adds up to €310 for the same number of people. That is a substantial amount of money to be forking out every week and every year. Apart from that there is the inconvenience of having to go to the shop and bring it home in the car.

This is happening through no fault of the people themselves. They signed up with Uisce Éireann to get a supply of water. The supply is not up to standard and it is costing extra money. My ask of the Minister of State and the Government is to consider making some gesture of compensation to these families. Maybe €100 per family will go some way to recognise that there is a problem and ease the burden they have at the moment. That would be reasonable and fair. In fact, I would prefer it to be even more than that.

When I raised this issue previously, the Minister of State at the time said he would bring it to the attention of the Minister and Uisce Éireann. The Tánaiste said the same. I have heard nothing since. That is why I am raising it again this evening. I want to ascertain whether the Government has looked at this. Is there any update on this proposal? Is it going to be a flat "no"? Uisce Éireann is responsible for supplying the water and so forth but this goes beyond Uisce Éireann. In fairness. Uisce Éireann has submitted planning permission to rectify the situation but I am told it will be another 22 months before the new plant will be commissioned. That is almost another two years. It got planning permission from Cork County Council, but that decision was appealed. An Bord Pleanála upheld the permission that was granted on 11 February this year but it will take about 22 months. It will actually treat 6 million l of water per day. That is the extent of it. This is a serious matter for my constituents. They are put out about it, annoyed about it, and there is an extra cost involved through no fault of their own. Uisce Éireann has been doing its best to rectify the situation. It invested over €1 million a couple of years ago but that did not do the trick. Now it has to put in a state-of-the-art ultra-modern facility to take the silt out of the water to enable the ultraviolet light to do its work and kill the bacteria and viruses that are in the water.

I am interested to hear what the Minister of State has to say. Given that I have raised this matter more than once over the years, I expect a substantive reply to my request for some compensation for the people in my area. More than 10,000 people have been impacted by this for quite a number years, on and off, since 2016. Since October 2022, it has been continuous with no sign of it being lifted.

I thank the Deputy for raising the Whitegate boil water notice issue. The issue of safe drinking water has national and local importance. I appreciate Deputy Stanton's concerns for the communities affected. The Deputy will appreciate that the operation of Whitegate regional public water supply is a matter for Uisce Éireann, which has statutory responsibility for all aspects of water services planning, delivery and operation at national, regional and local levels. In turn, the Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, as the environmental regulator is responsible for setting quality standards and enforcing compliance with EU directives and national regulations for the provision of drinking water. I understand from inquiries made with Uisce Éireann that the boil water notice currently in place for the Whitegate public water supply was issued on 18 October 2023 following consultation between Uisce Éireann, Cork County Council and the HSE. The boil water notice, which remains in place today, was issued to protect approximately 9,500 customers in Whitegate, Aghada, Churchtown, Ballycotton, Saleen, Shanagarry, Ballinacurra and areas of Cloyne. The notice was issued as a result of increased turbidity in the raw water, which can happen at the source as it is susceptible to raw water quality issues after rainfall events. Boil water notices have been issued in respect of the Whitegate public water supply a number of times over the past few years.

Uisce Éireann has advised that in January of this year, following a protracted process, it received planning permission for a new state-of-the-art water treatment facility that will service just over 10,000 people in the east Cork community of Whitegate and surrounding areas. The proposed new state-of-the-art water treatment plant will address the frequent boil water notices that the people of east Cork have experienced over the past number of years. This involves a major upgrade of the water treatment plant that will ensure a safe, reliable drinking water supply to customers. A contractor has been appointed to deliver the design, planning, construction and commissioning works on behalf of Uisce Éireann. It is expected that construction on this vital project will begin in the second half of this year and that the construction phase of the project, as the Deputy said, is expected to take approximately 22 months.

Turning to the issue of financial supports the Deputy raised this evening, Uisce Éireann has a strong customer service focus through its water charges plan and customer charter, which outline the standard of service customers should expect to receive. The water charges plan sets out a compensation mechanism when water quality is compromised and unfit for human consumption, such as when boil water and drinking water restriction notices apply. Business customers who pay charges are entitled to a rebate under the customer handbook as agreed with the Commission for Regulation of Utilities, CRU. However, implementation of the water charges plan is a matter in the first instance for Uisce Éireann. Any issues which cannot be resolved by Uisce Éireann to the satisfaction of the customer can be referred through a formal complaint process to the CRU.

My Department’s priority is to ensure that people’s health is protected and that adequate water is available for all consumers. We all want to see the notice lifted without undue delay, but only when the HSE and EPA have confirmed that the water supply is safe for use.

I thank the Minister of State for his response. I agree that we all want the boil water notice to be issued as soon as possible. However, the most recent information I have is that it will take at least 22 months before the plant can be commissioned, so it is almost another two years to wait on top of the many months that have already had to be endured by the people in that area.

My main question now following on from the Minister of State's response is about whether a complaint has been made to the CRU, and if it can actually direct that a compensation scheme might be put in place in instances such as this. I understand that when water charges are being paid by businesses, that is a factor, but there are no water charges being paid by the domestic consumer here. However, people are incurring substantial costs because of the inadequate supply. It would be fair to make some gesture of compensation to them in order to make up for the fact that they have to either boil or purchase water for a protracted period. What I am suggesting is perhaps €100 or €200, like we did with the electricity compensation scheme, for households impacted by this particular extra cost. I am sure the Minister of State will appreciate that if people have to go to shops to buy water, there is extra plastic involved and they are burning extra fuel to go to the shops to get it. People are impacted by, we will say, certain diseases or are vulnerable, such as babies with milk formula and so forth. People have no choice but to actually go to the shops and buy water or else boil the water. That all leads to extra costs and extra inconvenience. People are put out by it. It has gone on for quite a while and will go on for a while longer. I ask the Minister of State to go back to his Department and maybe talk to the Commission for Regulation of Utilities and come back to me with a response, hopefully saying that, yes, it will consider making some gesture of compensation to people in situations such as this.

I once again thank Deputy Stanton for raising this issue. I acknowledge the patience and co-operation of the residents and businesses in the Whitegate area who have been affected. Certainly, the points Deputy Stanton raised tonight are very valid. This is a huge inconvenience for the residents in the local area. The point regarding any compensation measures will be a decision for Uisce Éireann. However, I take the points the Deputy raised tonight. There is a protracted construction phase delivery of up to 22 months. I will re-emphasise that Government's priority is to ensure that the people's health is protected and that we have swift delivery with regard to this project, but only when the HSE and the EPA have confirmed that the water supply is safe. I thank the Deputy for raising this matter this evening. I will commit to respond to him once I have further details.

I have raised a number of times in the past the issue of the return of therapists to special schools, including St. Killian's Special School and Cara Junior School in my constituency. Figures I have received show that there are 368 students in special schools in children's disability network team, CDNT, 8 in my constituency, and they have only been sanctioned two full-time therapists for 368 students. I spoke with the principals from special schools in my constituency today. They are beyond frustrated, and they are exhausted. They are being told, and were told by the Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte, that this will happen, but they have not been given a date and it has not happened. I know there is a meeting next week. I ask now that they be given an adequate and swift timeline for when this will happen. Parents Unite, an advocacy group for St. Killian's Special School, has put together a potential package that will cost €150,000. That would see a return to the therapy levels that were there in 2020. I ask the Minister of State to ask the Minister and the Department to sanction the €150,000 to provide the therapists these children desperately need.

The Minister of State met with these parents in November 2023. She indicated that if they were to source therapists, she would be supportive. The school has done it and the parents have worked with it. Now, the Minister is ghosting them. Will the Minister of State, the Government and the Minister involved in the Department finally provide the therapists that are needed and the money that is required? We have a solution. We hear constantly that money is not the issue. The ball is in the Minister of State's court.

Education is about ensuring that every child can reach his or her greatest potential and thrive. Obviously, that means a great deal of different things to individual children and families. For children in special schools and children in places like St. Killian's Special School, which is a remarkable place, therapies are absolutely crucial to ensuring that those children can reach their fullest potential. At the minute, they are extremely frustrated because they do not believe their children are getting the support those children deserve. We would do well to remember what this means in real terms and what the provision of this will mean for those children and parents and the staff.

St. Killian's Special School, which is based in Mayfield, cares for people with dyslexia, dyspraxia and speech and language issues and pupils with a diagnosis of autism and complex needs. Since 2020, they have not received any therapy in speech and language, occupation therapy, social work, play therapy and physiotherapy. Before that, they were receiving three half days of therapy each week. They were told, and I suppose they received some encouragement from the Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte, that if they looked for a private multidisciplinary team to undertake the therapeutic services at St. Killian's Special School, the Minister would cover the cost of trying to find that and the funding might be in place. The last they heard was in November 2020. I am sure we could say that things were happening in the background, but the least the school and parents deserve is to hear back. That is seven going on eight months ago now. I am hoping that progress was happening in the background but I am worried that it has hit a roadblock. I want to hear from the Minister of State what is finally happening now that they have done the work. They have done everything right. They have gone through the channels. They have gone through the Department. They went away and found a provider. They know the costs. They want to know whether the Department will now cover the costs. I think they deserve it, and the Department should assist them.

I thank Deputies Ó Laoghaire and Gould for raising this really important discussion. My colleague, the Minister of State with responsibility for disability, Deputy Rabbitte, is fully committed to the continued development and enhancement of children’s disability services through the implementation of the progressing disability services roadmap for service improvements from 2023 to 2026, which seeks to ensure that we have equitable access to services for all children with complex needs. This includes school-based therapy supports for the Cork education and training board, ETB, special schools and across the country.

The concerns of families of children with complex needs to whom both Deputies referred and who attend special schools is acknowledged, as is the urgent need for therapy provision within special schools, which is an important avenue. In order to progress the reinstatement of health and social care supports that were historically provided in some special schools in the State, funding for an additional 221 posts was provided across 2021 and 2022. Additionally, it was agreed that the special school-based services must be aligned with the existing children’s disability network teams.

The Department of Children, Disability, Equality, Integration and Youth is engaging with the HSE on a number of measures to support schools. The Minister of State with responsibility for disability is also engaging with the HSE following the receipt of a recent proposal on a number of measures to support special schools in the areas centred around a grant funding to special schools, consideration on the nursing provision to CDNTs and consideration on supports for challenging behaviours.

The Minister of State has listened to the frustrations of both parents and schools and, together with the Department and the HSE, is committed to strengthening staffing in children's disability services.

I assure the House and both Deputies that the Minister of State’s Department will continue to engage with HSE senior management to drive enhancements in disability services for children attending the Cork ETB special schools, as well as special schools throughout the country.

There is a serious knock-on effect for children because of the failures to provide therapies. Behavioural issues are getting worse, children are falling behind and through the gaps, and staff are under constant pressure and stress, all of which could be resolved. We will not be able to fix everything but if the Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte, were to provide €150,000, the therapies that are needed could be provided.

It is shocking that more than 750 children in Cork are waiting on assessments of needs. The waiting time for an assessment of needs 12 weeks before the process starts and 26 weeks before it finishes. A total of 750 children have been waiting on average 21.5 months, not the three months it should be. This is what the Government is doing. I am dealing with a child in Cork who is tube-fed but cannot get a space in a special ASD class because there is a shortage. Children with disabilities are not being supported.

We have had a lot of talk and the Minister of State, Deputy Dillon, is now going to list out all the money the Government is spending, but the parents of these children do not want to hear that. They want their children to see therapists and get support because they are falling behind, and the Government is failing them.

I will quote from the response the Minister of State gave. He stated, "I know that my colleague the Minister of State with responsibility for disability services, Deputy Rabbitte, is fully committed to the continued development and enhancement of our children’s disability services through the implementation of the progressing disability services", and it carried on like that. I then look at what the Tánaiste said last Thursday, when he stated:

There is an issue with disability services and CDNT teams. My view is that the progressing disability programme has not worked. The progressing disability policy was announced in 2013 and it simply has not worked and we need to change it.

I am not sure what to make of that. The Minister of State's response put everything on the progressing disability services but the Tánaiste is saying they are not working and that we need to change them, so I do not know where that leaves us if we are relying on that.

Apart from that, the response the Minister of State gave us left us none the wiser in some respects. It referred in general terms to resources for Cork and the Cork ETB and I am sure that is welcome, but the key point is this school would not have procured a service from the private market unless it had been given assurances. It just would not have done that. It did that on the strength of assurances. Are those assurances going to be met, and if not, where does that leave the school? Schools throughout the country have frustrations about not being able to access various services, but the least they could expect is to get a straight answer. I truly hope this school was not led up the garden path and that we will find out this is all to follow, but if it was, that is not good enough.

I again thank both Deputies for raising this important matter and reiterate the full commitment of the Minister of State, her Department and the HSE to pursuing every avenue to ensure access to school-based therapies for children with disabilities in Cork and throughout the country. As the Deputies will be aware, the Taoiseach has convened a new Cabinet committee to deal with children's disability and access to therapists, which has had two meetings to date. I am sure they will welcome the establishment of this new committee to ensure there will be better alignment with the Government's priorities in dealing with assessments of need and the long delays but also to ensure families will have access to practitioners in both community services and the school environment. The Minister of State expects a detailed series of projects arising from the working group, which will be informed on the future direction designed to better align health and education needs. That working group, which is within the roadmap governance structure, is tasked with enhancing engagement between the HSE, the Department of Education, the NCSE and NEPS to optimise integration between health and education and support special schools for the benefit of children with disabilities.

I will ensure the Minister of State is made aware of the issues the Deputies have raised. I again thank them for raising them on behalf of their constituents.