Yesterday, the Taoiseach appeared incredulous, even dismissive, at the suggestion from my party leader, Deputy Mary Lou McDonald, that we need a new departure in special education. He might not be so shocked if he actually listened to those on the ground, the parents fighting for their children, the SNAs working well beyond their contracts and the schools trying to hold the system together. The central issue here is not the redeployment scheme, no matter how often Ministers repeat it. The real issue is that the criteria determining who qualifies for support are outdated and no longer reflect the evolving needs of children in our classrooms. I welcome the Minister's confirmation that no further reviews will be undertaken until the workforce development plan and updated circular are published, but this is only the first step. It should have happened a long time ago, certainly before any NCSE review letters went out to schools. The Department's review of the EPSEN Act, published last summer, stated that the workforce development plan would be delivered by September 2025. Its first pillar explicitly recognises the evolving role of the SNA. Had that role been properly expanded and recognised in policy last September, we might not be in this mess today. Instead, a State-wide review was initiated using criteria the Government itself had already tactically acknowledged were outdated. This is a serious oversight. It raises serious questions about accountability and the persistent buck-passing between the Department and the NCSE. We also need a candid discussion of how reviews are carried out. SNAs have told me of SENO classroom visits where there was no engagement with the child and no meaningful consultation with the SNA. This is not a child-centred approach. It is bureaucratic box-ticking. This anecdote also speaks to the question of respect for SNAs and the expertise they hold as professionals accompanying children throughout their school journeys. In recent weeks, we have had an outpouring of public support for SNAs. People recognise their value. The real test will be in contract negotiations on full-time hours, pensions, the 72 additional hours, redeployment and formal recognition as public servants. The Government says it recognises their value but words are not enough. Many of the concerns I mentioned were raised in the EPSEN review authored by the Minister's own Department. Why conduct reviews if absolutely nothing comes from their recommendations? That question must be asked. These challenges do not exist in isolation. Lack of SNAs, oversized classes, redesignation of mild general learning disability, MGLD, schools and the shortage of special classes and school places are all interconnected. They require proper sustained investment. It should be noted that no parent seeks an SNA support for their child if they do not need it. A new departure means ramping up investment in education, which is something that will surely yield a dividend.

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