At the outset, a Cheann Comhairle, I want to express that our thoughts are with the families, friends and communities of the seven people who lost their lives on a road over the weekend. This Government claims that disability rights are a priority, but the Taoiseach's words on disability have not been matched by action. The Government has found €19 million to postpone the proposed cuts to SNAs, of course not before forcing exhausted parents to once again fight the State for the support their children are entitled to. If he has not yet done so, I encourage the Taoiseach to read Ciara Reilly's Substack articles on this issue. They are incredibly informative and they are from the perspective of a mum, a teacher and a tireless advocate. What everybody needs to know now is what is going to happen next. Instead of once again reaching for a quick fix, is the Taoiseach going to deliver the structural reform that is needed? To do that, there first must be acknowledgement that the current approach has not worked, is not working and is not going to work going forward. I think we agree that the definition of the role of an SNA is too narrow, too restrictive and does not reflect reality. This needs to be acknowledged in the upcoming review and it needs to be fixed. Disability is not just physical and disability supports should not be allocated on such narrow grounds. We know children's needs are complex and that there needs to be a level of discretion baked into the system in order to provide children with the support they need. We also need to look at the bigger picture. This issue is part of a much deeper problem. The average adult to child ratio in our primary school classes is far above the EU average. Large classes compound the needs of children and result in less one-to-one time for kids. It is clear it is time to focus more on the recruitment of teachers. Also central to this are special education teachers. Complex needs must be reintroduced into the criteria for SET allocation. The removal of this criterion was a step in the complete wrong direction and has put children, teachers and SNAs in an untenable position. Crucially, special classes must be central to this discussion. The future of many special classes was brought into question when these cuts were announced. This pause has not given parents and teachers the certainty they need. Schools that need special classes, whether it is their first one or additional ones, need to be supported to open them and keep them open. The Department of education is responsible for realising the constitutional right to education every child in Ireland has. It cannot continue to foist responsibility onto individual schools or the National Council for Special Education. What is the plan? Will the Taoiseach reassure children, their parents and school communities that the Government recognises that bigger picture and will change the approach?
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The Taoiseach asked what I mean by the change of approach and I will elaborate on that. I mean a change from this, where the Government comes in and uses language like "progress", "investment" and "increases" and all of these big, grand words whereas the reality for disabled people on the ground is a nightmare. The reality of the language in your own Government's reports is very different from your own - go from "progress" and "investment" to "wasted lives". That is the difference. The approach of successive Governments up until now has been piecemeal and threadbare and it has been ruining people's lives. That is the reality. The Taoiseach said he speaks to parents of disabled children all the time. If so, then he knows they are the people he meets in his constituency who are the most at the end of their tether. I sat on the disability matters committee in the previous Dáil term. Week after week, people told us how often impossible their lives were made by a system that does not listen to them, does not include them-----
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-----and makes decisions not with them but for them. That is the change in approach that is needed. We need an overall approach to changing the situation.
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After ten years and 15 years-----
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