I thank all Members who contributed to the debate over the past number of hours. It is a reflection of the commitment of all Deputies in relation to special education. The work in the communities was very much reflected in the contributions I have heard. Supporting children with additional education is very much at the core of the Government's values. We have put a huge amount of investment into it. Going back over many years, there has been huge investment in it. There has been unprecedented investment in special needs assistants and right across the education system. We have to make sure we are meeting the needs of the most vulnerable children. As I said on many occasions, whatever we invest in special education right across the special education sector, the State will benefit enormously in future life. We will be able to equip children with the best possible outcomes in life and they will be the best possible people they can be. It is important we continue to acknowledge that investment and make sure we are delivering it in the best place possible. Deputies will know that after intensive negotiations over the past weekend, there will be no SNA reductions for this year. If any school has identified a need for next year, the resources will be made available to them. That is hugely important. There is an old Irish saying that, "It takes a village to raise a child". It is hugely important we apply that to the school communities as well. School communities are made up of teachers, SNAs and other support staff. These SNAs provide absolute support for children. Many Members spoke about SNAs' dedication and commitment to their work. In talking to SNAs in the special schools and special classes I have been to right across the country, including St. Michael's House Special National School Baldoyle, which I visited yesterday, I thank them sincerely for the work they do. There is uniformity across the place in that they all say they love their jobs. We should acknowledge that and the role they play. Since my appointment last year, I have visited over 120 schools and I have seen the same level of commitment right across the country. The value we place on SNAs is second to none, as is the respect that I, the Government and all of us have for them. They are a crucial piece of the jigsaw in ensuring that children have the best possible outcomes. Three things came up constantly yesterday evening and again today. On the redeployment scheme, almost half of the Members who spoke mentioned the 2014 circular. We must be very mindful of the fact that the 2014 circular enabled us to grow the SNA workforce by 14,000 over 12 years. We must strengthen it and look at the concerns that are being raised but it is also important to acknowledge that there has been a huge expansion in the education system since that circular was issued. Concern was expressed in relation to the redeployment scheme and SNAs. The scheme has been talked about quite a lot. There have been a lot of intensive negotiations between the Department and the various stakeholders. We must bring that to a conclusion and finalise it. That is another crucial piece of the plan. SNAs deserve that. It is a commitment in the programme for Government and has been committed to elsewhere. Of course, it was being worked on before but we now have to complete that piece of work. There has been huge engagement on the workforce development plan between all concerned. There is a myth out there that there has been no engagement. We know what is happening in schools. We know the need that is manifesting itself and how we are going to meet it. I assure the House that Government knows and is working on it tooth and nail. In the context of all of the correspondence, the negotiations and everything that has been said over the week, it is important to note that we are increasing the workforce by 1,700 again this year. It is important that we understand and note that. All of us bring a level of expertise from our own personal journeys to this House. During the debate today, a text came in, as it does every day at 2.35 p.m. It just says "great day" or "good day". That is the information the special needs assistant feeds back to our family. That is the information that every family who has a child with additional needs is getting. That is the respect the families have. I want to thank each and every one of the nearly 25,000 SNAs who work the length and breadth of the country for their commitment. We should look at how special education has been funded over the last 15, 20 or 25 years, at the commitment being given to teachers and SNAs and, more importantly, at the governments that have continuously invested in the area. There will always be challenges. This year alone, there is a challenge arising from the huge numbers that have come forward. However, as we did last year, we will work every single hour that God gives us to do the right thing by the children and the families and by the teachers and the SNAs who support them. If we do that right and if we put investment into special education, when we look at our society in 20 or 25 years' time, we will see that investment having reaped a positive reward. I assure the House that we get this. We understand it. We are going to make sure we have the best possible system of special education into the future.

Sentiment score: 0.33