I thank Sinn Féin for giving us the opportunity to talk about this very important matter. I welcome all the concerned people in the Gallery. I thank all of the SNA teachers, ordinary teachers and principals we have in Kerry for the wonderful work they have been doing for the past great number of years. We all rely on teachers and need them very much. I am glad the Government paused this case and problem that was raised among our schools in Kerry last week and, indeed, right around the country. A pause is not enough for me. We must get to know how a child deserves an SNA. That is not people arriving into a school like they did a couple of months ago and going into a room by themselves without going to the classrooms or to meet the teachers. They just said who they were and, after an hour and a half, they went off. That did not happen in every school but it happened in a good few of them. I advise the Minister of State of that. This is a real problem for me because we were always brought up with the idea that it is in the Constitution that the children of this country must be treated equally. Not alone are we not doing that now, we are hurting the more disadvantaged children. These are the children who need a bit of help. Different things can be a problem for different children. They can develop certain problems. It is a real issue for young parents when they find there is something wrong with their child and have to get the child assessed and do everything they can to make him or her as good as the rest of the children. That takes too long as it is. Many other problems arise with little children when they first go to school. In Kerry we have quite a big problem where we have children from other countries who have language difficulties. If we did not have SNA teachers to help them, the rest of the children would be held back. Does the Minister of State understand that? That has to be looked at and brought into the equation to ensure every child gets what they need. Some children have to be helped to go to the bathroom. There are all these little things. Some of them have to be helped to be fed. After a while they get going and pass out other children. That is the truth of it. I am very disappointed and I apologise as a Member of Dáil Éireann for what happened last week. It should not have happened. Our teachers are doing their level best. There was no one of them idle. I do know that in certain schools-----

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I have three minutes. These two people came into the school from the Department, talked and went around the classrooms. That is not right and it should not happen. The Minister and Minister of State have to take the blame and ensure that does not happen again. That is what I am asking them.

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