Last month, representatives of the National Council for the Blind of Ireland, NCBI, were before the Oireachtas education committee. They outlined the extraordinary delays some students experience in receiving their necessary schoolbooks in Braille. It is almost beyond belief what these students go through to get these books. Can the Minister please inform the House of the last time a tender for educational books in Braille happened and what actions she intends to take to end these inordinate delays that are being experienced by students who require these books?

I thank the Deputy for her question. It is important to stress at the outset, as the Minister of State with responsibility for special education, that this year’s budget for special education was €2.6 billion. That was a 10% increase from last year. It is also 27% of the entire education budget. Part of that funding includes support for children and young people in our schools who rely on Braille. I have met the NCBI myself on many occasions to discuss supports for the blind and the visually impaired.

I can confirm that the Department has had in place a service level agreement with the charity ChildVision since 2015 to produce Braille books through their reading services area, which was formerly known as the National Braille Production Centre. There is an annual grant of €1.28 million to ChildVision. Through the service level agreement, ChildVision is provided with the grant to provide transcription services for textbooks into Braille books. As Minister of State, I am acutely aware of and committed to ensuring that all children and young people in our education system who have a visual impairment are provided with the tools they require to access the curriculum, whether this is via Braille books or other technology. In 2023, for example, a new pilot scheme was introduced to allow students who are visually impaired to access their leaving certificate exams in a digital format. I met with the NCBI about that, as well as with Féach.

It is acknowledged in many countries that there are particular challenges in delivering through Braille production and this is also the case in Ireland. There are specialist codes that are used in mathematics, sciences, music and languages, including Irish. Ensuring that texts adhere to the highest standard that is required involves significant quality control. This is a very specialised area and books are produced to order on a case-by-case basis.

The Minister of State referred to a case-by-case basis but did not say when the service level agreement, SLA, was signed or the last time this tender went out, which is what the question relates to. Approximately 4,700 schoolchildren are visually impaired. That is a relatively low number, but it is unquestionably a high-needs disability and children need supplementary tools relating to the curriculum.

When speaking at the education committee in respect of inclusive and accessible education, Ms Toni O’Dwyer stated:

We have recent examples of students who received books once they had finished the cycle – someone received in transition year his books that should have been available for his junior cycle. This means he received his books three years late. I do not know of any other cohort of children in education that wait months or years to get the books that they rely on to access their education.

It is true, particularly of young children, that a combination of learning materials is key. The importance of having these books in Braille cannot be overstated. Reliance on digital devices can be difficult for anyone.

When was the SLA signed and when was the last time this went out to tender?

The SLA was signed in 2015. I concur with the Deputy’s statement that blind or visually impaired children need to be supported in every way possible to ensure that they reach their full potential in our education system. Due to the complexity of Braille, though, orders generally need to be placed for books by the November before the school year in which they are required. However, if there are changes to the book list or the versions of books being used in a school or if a student amends his or her subject choices, it can cause delays in receiving a revised book, particularly for the subjects I mentioned. I acknowledge that such a delay causes considerable difficulties for the students affected and I am determined to ensure that progress is made on this matter in order that these materials can be with students as soon as possible. The National Council for Special Education, NCSE, has informed me of these delays. It is therefore important that the review take the tender into consideration.

When is that review due to commence and end? Is the Minister of State satisfied that the current SLA, which was signed in 2015, is fit for purpose? If a child is receiving his junior cycle books in transition year, then it is not fit for purpose. He is not the only child in this situation. A child who is blind or visually impaired needs to be able to access books in Braille. There can also be significant difficulties in schools accessing assistive technologies like overhead projectors for children.

If these children are not given the opportunity to learn in a combined and comprehensive way, not only will they lose out on their education, but they will lose out on the skills that are required to be able to develop a learning style as they go through school from a young age. The NCSE does not have a trained pool of teachers and filling vacancies can be difficult, which places an additional emphasis on the need for books in Braille.

Departmental officials have commenced the initial stage of the review of the provision of Braille books and will meet ChildVision to discuss the matter this week. All potential options that are available will be examined to ensure that quality provision is in place for all children who need it and that delays in the delivery to students are avoided. A part of the review will examine options that may be available in the marketplace to provide the services required by our students. Currently, the Department is not aware of any other suppliers that are supplying this volume of Braille books, but the review will examine the availability of suppliers and, therefore, tendering will be examined as a potential option.