I thank the Minister and Minister of State for facilitating this debate. I thank them both for their efforts in recent days and weeks in securing the additional funding to ensure that SNA numbers in our schools will not be reduced. This will allow the space to plan for the future properly. We all know the important work that SNAs do. It has been referred to many times this afternoon during this debate. They play a vital role in school life building important relationships with students and becoming a central part of a student's life in school. Unfortunately, the debacle in the past couple of weeks has resulted in unnecessary stress and anxiety for SNAs, teachers, parents and students. We cannot repeat these mistakes. Whatever the plan for the future is in terms of defining the role of the SNA and developing the workforce plan, we need to fully engage and consult with all those involved in the process to ensure that whatever resources are available are used in the most effective way possible so that each child is given the best support possible. As a country, we need to be proud of the fact that we prioritise children with additional needs. We often hear figures. We refer to the increase in the budget to almost €3 billion this year, the fact that this represents 28% of the education budget and so on. These are facts we should be proud of. These figures are likely to increase in the years ahead and, again, we need to embrace that fact and welcome the fact that as a country, we are determined to ensure that each child is given the support he or she needs and has the potential to reach his or her full potential in life. We all know education is a game-changer. It can be life-changing for an individual. We all know that in this country and in many other countries in the past, children were not given the opportunity to reach their full potential because they did not receive the support they deserved. I want to live in a country which celebrates the fact that additional needs get the spending and resources they need. We will need to continue to increase the number of SNAs in our schools in the future. We have to plan and provide for this. There should be no more short-term, ill-considered reactions. This area is too important to the lives of too many people and we need to plan for the future in a considered and collaborative way.

Sentiment score: 0.24