Michael Fitzmaurice

Overall sentiment: 0.06
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I noticed over the last few days that senior Ministers are very fond of coming out and making announcements. Between watching television interviews and different commentaries on it, I notice the Minister of State, Deputy Moynihan, is being rolled out every time. Where is the senior Minister from Galway? She was good at coming out when the decision was being reversed. That the Minister of State had to do the batting for the last few days is very notable. This needs to be sorted. There are vulnerable children. Our Constitution says we will cherish all our children but, unfortunately, there seems to be a total disconnect in having this issue resolved. Once again, it is probably senior civil servants making decisions without having their eye on the ball. Do they have a child who needs an SNA in a school? A lot of them do not understand what they are doing. That is my honest opinion. We need to resolve the issue fast to give surety to parents around the country. I have spoken to the Minister of State about this a few times. There are schools that are appealing decisions. A principal in a school does not ring up a politician and say "Michael, we are in trouble here, we need an SNA and we are put under appeal and they seem to be bashing back at us." Principals in schools have plenty to do besides trying to fight battles constantly to get what they rightfully should get. I have seen in the likes of Threen, and places like it around the country, that principals had to get involved, do up the paperwork and try to appeal. They are not into the business of looking for something they do not need. They genuinely feel the need for it to help the future education of children. Every one of us knows that if children, especially those with autism, get the help between the ages of two and eight, they can go on and live a very fulfilled life. If they do not get that help, they have been let down by the State. I have said very clearly over the last number of years that kids have been failed by the State because in the system of diagnosis the HSE has had until now, people have had to wait for assessments to provide the pathway forward and do what needed to be done. We should make sure we put the resources in to help all those children for the future.

Sentiment score: 0.11

She was away all week.

Sentiment score: 0.00