I thank the Minister of State, Deputy McConalogue, for coming in.

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit chuig an Teach ar maidin. The Minister of State is very welcome to the House and I thank him for taking this Commencement even though it is not under his area of responsibility.

Today, I wish to talk about the disability service for both adults and children in County Monaghan. We were delighted in November 2024 when the then Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte - now Senator - officially opened the Rainbow Lodge children's respite service in Urbalkirk, in County Monaghan. It was a development for which many parents had been fighting for many a day and we were delighted it opened up. The feedback from that facility is hugely positive under the management of Michelle Smyth and her team. They are doing an excellent job and the feedback I am getting from parents and everyone who visits the place is hugely positive. I commend everybody on that. It was meant to be a temporary facility and we were delighted that the HSE proceeded to purchase a building in Monaghan town with a view to having a permanent children's respite centre. I am glad to report that this is currently under planning with Monaghan County Council and we await that decision. Some concern has been raised, however, and people are looking for assurances that the Rainbow Lodge facility will remain operational until such time as a new purpose-built facility is up and running. If the Minister of State could give me a commitment on that this morning, it would alleviate some fears parents have voiced to me.

The other issue I raise is the concern in the county of Monaghan regarding adult disability respite services. Currently, the numbers are such that people are concerned that the service will be very limited indeed. Some people have put forward the notion that when the facility out in Urbalkirk is no longer be required as a children's respite centre, it could be used as an adult respite centre. I do not know whether that would be suitable or whether it would fit the criteria laid down by the HSE but again I am looking for confirmation as to whether it could be used, and if not, what plans the HSE has for locating much-needed additional adult respite facilities in County Monaghan.

The other issue is adult day services. We have some excellent providers within the county but their services are stretched and there is a need for more. The one in Monaghan is located on the grounds of St. Davnet's Hospital. The HSE, through HSE estates, has been very active in trying to locate another site and I understand it has identified a site that may be suitable. I am wondering what progress, if any, has been made in pushing that site on. There are some excellent providers. I know the Minister of State will be aware of them because he passes by a number of them on his travels to Donegal. One of them is Errigal Truagh Special Needs Centre, which has its own ambitious plans. They do an excellent job there. They have plans to extend the facility and we are working with them to advance that project as well. A number of others are also providing an excellent service in the county but they are stretched and additional capacity is required. What information has the Minister of State received from the Minister that would indicate we are actively seeking to progress additional adult respite services and day services within counties Monaghan and Cavan?

I thank Senator Gallagher for raising what is an important issue for him, for the public and for those availing of respite services in County Monaghan. I am happy to take this matter this morning on behalf of the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality, Deputy Norma Foley. She thanks Senator Gallagher for raising this and offering me the opportunity to respond on her behalf.

Respite services are a vital support, and being cognisant of the significant unmet need in this area, the Government has provided substantial additional funding over the last few years in order to expand all forms of respite nationally. This includes overnight services, day provision and many different forms of alternative respite like after-school clubs and summer camps.

In relation to the Senator’s specific query, I can advise that the disability services in the Cavan-Monaghan integrated health area have secured a commitment for funding for Rainbow Lodge children’s respite service for a period of two years from 1 October 2024 to 30 September 2026, pending the development of the new HSE facility. The location of the interim children’s respite centre for Monaghan is at Urbalkirk, approximately 8 km from Monaghan town. The Talbot Group operates the service under a service arrangement with the HSE. I can also confirm that recurring funding has been received for this respite centre until the new development is opened.

The HSE further advises that HSE disability services in the Cavan-Monaghan integrated health area, in conjunction with HSE capital and estates Dublin north east, prepared capital submission documents for the national HSE capital and property steering committee to seek approval and funding to provide for a stand-alone respite centre for adults with an intellectual disability in County Cavan. This development, if approved and funding allocated, would ensure that there are stand-alone residential respite centres for adults in both Cavan and Monaghan, as well as stand-alone residential respite centres for children in each county, in addition to a bespoke, dedicated respite centre for adults with physical and sensory disabilities from both counties Cavan and Monaghan.

In relation to day services, there is an identified need for capital investment in adult day services nationally and in the Cavan and Monaghan area with a number of projects currently progressing through capital programmes. Although day service providers continue to experience capacity pressures year on year in respect of accommodating new school leavers or adults who have completed their rehabilitative training programme, all required placements were secured for those adults identified through the 2024 school and rehabilitative training leavers process. In respect of the school leavers and rehabilitative training leavers identified for 2025, all adults have secured a day service placement and commenced in their respective day services in September 2025. Most recently, funding has been provided to Rehab Care for a new day service premises in Monaghan town which is open and operational.

I thank the Minister of State for that comprehensive response from the Minister, Deputy Foley. I very much welcome the commitment within that statement that funding has been ring-fenced, if I can use that word, to keep Rainbow Lodge operational until such time as a new facility is in operation. As I said earlier, there was some concern that perhaps that was not the case. This will go a long way to alleviating concerns that parents had voiced to me.

On the development of adult respite services, mention was given to Cavan in the reply and I very much welcome the work that is ongoing there. There is also a need for the development of an additional adult respite service in County Monaghan. I will continue to voice that as well.

On the adult day services, I understand through the HSE that works are ongoing to explore and identify a site within Monaghan town. I am glad to report that a site has been identified. We look forward to that progressing to a new facility there.

This is good news. It is very much welcomed and I know many families will welcome it. We will all work together to ensure that the best possible services are available to our children and our adults with those special needs.

I thank Senator Gallagher again for raising this matter. It will help bring clarity on the interim arrangements in place. I know from speaking to the Minister, Deputy Foley, before I took this on her behalf this morning, that the Senator has been working very closely with her and she wants to relay that both of you will continue to do that with other public representatives in the area as well.

This provides the clarity on the interim arrangements, which are really important for families availing of these respite services. I have no doubt, given his advocacy on this, that the Senator will continue to work closely with the health services locally and the Minister, Deputy Foley, nationally to make sure delivery of the new respite centre will progress in the best possible timeframe and ensuring in the meantime that a service is provided on an interim basis.

I thank Senator Gallagher for raising this matter this morning.

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire Stáit. The Antarctic Treaty was signed in Washington on 1 December 1959 by 12 countries whose scientists had been active on the ground in Antarctica during the international geophysical year of 1957-58. It entered into force in 1961 and has since been signed by many other nations. The current total stands at 58. Some important provisions of the treaty are as follows: Antarctica shall be used for peaceful purposes only; freedom of scientific investigation in Antarctica and co-operation toward that end shall continue; and scientific observations and results from Antarctica shall be exchanged and made freely available.

Among the signatories of the treaty were seven countries, Argentina, Australia, Chile, France, New Zealand, Norway and the United Kingdom with territorial claims and sometimes these were overlapping. Other countries do not recognise any claims and the US and Russia maintain a basis of claim. All positions are explicitly protected under Article IV, which preserves the status quo . It states:

No acts or activities taking place while the present Treaty is in force shall constitute a basis for asserting, supporting or denying a claim to territorial sovereignty in Antarctica or create any rights of sovereignty in Antarctica. No new claim, or enlargement of an existing claim, to territorial sovereignty in Antarctica shall be asserted while the present Treaty is in force.

There is a protocol on environmental protection to the treaty, which was signed in Madrid on 4 October 1991 and entered into force in 1998. It designates Antarctica “as a natural reserve, devoted to peace and science.” Article 3 of the environmental protocol sets forth basic principles applicable to human activities in Antarctica and Article 7 prohibits all activities relating to Antarctica mineral resources except for scientific research. The environmental protocol established by the committee for environmental protection is an expert advisory body to provide advice and formulate recommendations to the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting, ATCM, in connection with the implementation of the environment protocol.

The treaty also has protected areas, something I hope we will discuss before the summer break in relation to marine protected areas in Ireland. This protects Antarctic flora and fauna and an area in Antarctica may be designated in this regard to protect outstanding environmental scientific, historic or aesthetic or wilderness values.

This is a hugely important treaty. In light of the US Administration’s recent brazen and imperious attempt to take over Greenland and desire to exploit resources there, particularly rarer minerals but also oil reserves, I think that Ireland as a peaceful nation, a respected neutral country, could not only benefit from becoming a signatory to the treaty but could also provide an invaluable contribution to the aspiration and the ambition of this unique treaty.

The Minister, Deputy McEntee’s predecessor, Simon Coveney, reversed a previously held view that Ireland would not benefit from membership and became an enthusiastic supporter of Ireland joining. He conveyed this to me in writing and in discourse during our time in government together.

Ireland has a rich heritage of Antarctic exploration with Sir Ernest Shackleton and the legendary exploits of Tom Crean being among the most memorable. Indeed, this legacy is celebrated in the wonderful Shackleton Experience museum open in Athy. We owe it to their legacy and all the Irish explorers and scientists who have contributed to our ever-expanding knowledge of this great continent. Understanding Antarctica better will help us in our fight against climate breakdown. Protecting it will ensure it will continue to be a vast repository for global biodiversity.

Antarctica is the Earth's only continent that humans have not inhabited and the only one not exploited by us. The Antarctic Treaty is the only means by which we can ensure that it remains as a gift to all of humanity, not to be plundered by a superpower but to be respected for the vital role the continent plays in ensuring that our planet remains habitable for future generations. I ask the Minister of State to urge his Government colleagues to allow Ireland to play its part in the protection of this great continent.

I thank the Senator for raising this important topic and for his advocacy for Ireland becoming a signatory to the Antarctic Treaty. In 2021 the Taoiseach requested that the Minister for Foreign Affairs re-examine the merits of accession to the Antarctic Treaty System, ATS, in keeping with Government policy in respect of climate change, biodiversity and multilateralism. On foot of this, the Department of Foreign Affairs commissioned an assessment of the full range of legislative, policy and administrative measures that would be necessary for Ireland to participate in the ATS. A report was prepared by Dr. Richard Collins of UCD and delivered to the Department on 12 April 2022. This report provided an overview of the obligations of the ATS, which consists of several different international legal instruments including the 1959 Antarctic Treaty; the 1980 Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources; the 1972 Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Seals: and the Madrid Protocol on Environmental Protection 1991. Each of these has a different focus and set of requirements on participating states. The report advised that it would be possible to sign up to the ATS with different degrees of commitment. These range from acceding only to the Antarctic Treaty and introducing minimal legislation related to this, to acceding to the treaty, the Madrid protocol and the Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources and introducing a range of legislative and administrative tools to ensure compliance with each of these instruments. An interdepartmental group will determine what level of participation is appropriate for Ireland in terms of the parts of the treaty we should accede to. It will also identify the structures and associated resource requirements necessary for such participation.

As the Senator knows, having served as a Minister of State previously, marine environmental matters were a core competence of the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage. For this reason, the Government approved the establishment of the interdepartmental group under the direction of that Department to agree next steps regarding Ireland's accession to the ATS. This marine environmental function subsequently transferred the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment on 1 August 2025 and has been delegated to the Minister of State, Deputy Dooley.

As the Senator will be aware, our current focus is on ensuring that threatened species, habitats, and ecosystem services in our own maritime area and the wider north east Atlantic region are protected. With this in mind, the priority has been the drafting of legislation to provide for marine protected areas, MPAs. Officials are currently in process of preparing the general scheme of a Bill to amend the Maritime Area Planning Act 2021 to enable us to create more MPAs using the designated maritime area plan process. This work is at an advanced stage and it is intended to bring a general scheme to the Government for approval at the earliest opportunity. Work on the legislation to provide for MPAs complements our continued work on a national and transboundary basis under the marine strategy framework directive.

The Department will also proceed to identify the necessary legislative, administrative and policy measures needed to fully implement the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction agreement. The Department is very much focused on progressing this.

I thank the Minister of State for his comprehensive response. As I understand it, the Government is not ruling out, but is still giving active consideration to, acceding to the core treaty itself. I am conscious that signing up to international agreements puts a requirement on the State to have the resources in place to honour such agreements and to resource staffing to meet the requirements of meetings and so on. However, this is important for Ireland. As I said in my opening statement, it is critically important that Ireland plays an active role in international biodiversity and the protection of this unique continent, particularly where there are designs on territorial areas by other countries. While I welcome the response, I urge the Government to continue to give active consideration to, at the very least, signing up to the core treaty and thereafter, to look at its international agreements through the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction agreement, to give full effect to them and to support and resource Ireland's full participation in the Antarctic Treaty.

I thank the Senator again for raising these important matters and for all of his previous work as Minister of State in the Department. Given the interconnected nature of the world's oceans in the context of marine environmental policy, we need to continue at a national level to ensure that we develop it as a national priority. It is also important in the context of climate change, ocean currents, migration of species and the broader ocean ecosystem that there be a national, regional and global approach. We must remain connected to other requirements and ensure they are done in a more managed and sustainable way. We have seen, most recently, that threats to the unique environment of Antarctic have a global impact. Participation in the ATS will complement existing work. We ratified the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction agreement in September 2025, following Dáil approval. As I said earlier, we are prioritising work on the MPA legislation and the associated workaround identifying species, habitats and ecosystems. Once that work is sufficiently advanced, we will free up resources in other areas within the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade on the ATS.

I welcome my good friend, the Minister of State, Deputy Buttimer, to the House. All his friends in County Cavan are hoping that he will have good news for us today. A bombshell was dropped at Cavan County Council last Monday when Virginia councillor, Mr. T.P. O'Reilly looked for an update on the progress of the Virginia bypass. The Virginia bypass is currently at stage 3 and it had been proposed to go to stage 4 in the spring of 2026, following a delay of 18 months. At the meeting last Monday it was announced that stage 4 will not happen until the fourth quarter of 2027. Effectively, this means a two-year delay on top of an 18-month delay, on top of a 50-year discussion around the need for this bypass.

Naturally, Councillor O'Reilly was incensed by this. Many of his colleagues, from his own party and all others, subsequently spoke on the matter and the general consensus was that they were angry and disappointed. This is a shocking situation. To use northern terminology, the wee roads around Virginia, the smaller roads, are now being destroyed and cut to ribbons by cars diverting to avoid the backlog on the N3 Virginia road. They are going on the small roads and cutting them to ribbons. That is a huge problem in itself. It is also a danger for children on these roads. The roads are residential and were not intended for this kind of traffic. There is a health and safety issue there.

There are inordinate delays for commuters on the N3 going into Virginia. After a day's work in Dublin, someone could sit on the N3 for up to 45 minutes waiting to get through Virginia. They may have had the same experience in the morning. I often get text messages from people who are angry at having to sit there. One particular person, a good friend of mine who constantly texts me, sent a message saying they had been sitting there for an hour waiting to get through Virginia when they should have been at home with their family. It is strangling the town commercially. It is affecting the whole life of the town. It is a beautiful town in an idyllic setting. It has potential for more residential development and all of that. It is just a horror that this is the case. I know the Minister of State will say there was a capital announcement at Christmas on the matter, but what does that mean to someone sitting outside Virginia at the moment, trying to get to Dublin? It is already costing a lot. People are working an eight-hour day in Dublin, spending a couple of hours commuting to work and another couple of hours home. It is horrendous.

I thank Senator O'Reilly for raising this very important matter. I thank him for articulating the frustration expressed by motorists and people in the town of Virginia. I also thank the Senator and Councillor T.P. O'Reilly for their advocacy and continued lobbying in respect of the importance of the Virginia bypass to the people of Cavan. I am not sure I have good news on the timeline for him this morning. I am taking this matter on behalf of the Minister for Transport. As the Senator will know, the Minister has responsibility for overall policy and Exchequer funding in relation to the national roads programme. Once that funding has been put in place, it is transferred to TII under the Roads Acts and, in this case, to Cavan County Council. Planning and the upgrading of individual national roads under the national development plan is a matter for TII. Under Project Ireland 2040 and the NDP, TII will ultimately a deliver a national roads programme.

It is important to point out that we have had a number of major projects successfully concluded. Our colleague and friend, Senator Lynch, can testify to the N22 Baile Bhuirne to Macroom road. I thank her for her work on that. Along with the N2 Clontibret to the Border and N2 Ardee to Castleblayney projects, the N3 Virginia bypass is one of a number of new national road projects in the north east identified for development over the lifetime of the national development plan. Furthermore, in the sectoral investment plan for transport, which was published last year, the Virginia bypass was listed among projects identified to be in procurement or under construction by 2030. The proposed project will ease congestion in the town of Virginia. As the Senator has hoped, it will provide an opportunity to improve public realm facilities, the lives of people in the area and road safety, particularly for vulnerable road users, through the provision of dedicated cycling and walking infrastructure. As we have both said, the reduction of congestion will have a positive impact on the wider region. Journey times will also be improved and there will be a prosperous economic upturn for the region.

Some €502 million of Exchequer capital funding was allocated to TII last year to be used for the construction of major new road projects and the protection and renewal of existing roads. Cavan County Council received €9 million. Next week, the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, the Minister of State, Deputy Canney, and I will announce the roads projects for this year. I confirm that €1.2 million was allocated for the N3 bypass scheme in 2025. In relation to the current status of the scheme, following the selection of a preferred route, the N3 Virginia bypass is currently advancing through the design and environmental evaluation phase of TII's project management guidelines. During this phase, the design of the project is being further refined with topographical work and geotechnical investigations ongoing, along with the determination of land take requirements. A preliminary business case for the project is expected to be completed this year, as is required by the infrastructure guidelines. Subject to approval, the project will then proceed through the necessary statutory processes, including a planning application.

A major priority of the NDP, in line with the Government's investment hierarchy, is to maintain the quality and safety of the existing national road framework. This includes funding for minor improvement projects and safety schemes such as junction upgrades, road realignment and pavement renewal. I look forward to next week's allocation of national roads funding being published. I hope this will help to clarify the status of funding for roads in County Cavan. I take the Senator's point and hear him very clearly as regards the capital announcement last year and the need for infrastructure development to be progressed. That is why, in government, the party of which we are members asked for a stand-alone Department of infrastructure. We need to see projects like this fast-tracked on behalf of the residents. I thank the Senator for raising this matter this morning.

I know the Minister of State giving the response is personally committed to rural Ireland and to our communities but this answer is extraordinarily disappointing. It is disappointing that there are these inordinate delays. If I understand the answer correctly, the problem is not so much one of money as one of governance and management. In keeping with the new view, articulated by the Minister of State just a minute ago, that we have to speed up infrastructure projects and remove delays, all the actors and stakeholders need to be brought around a table. Will the Minister of State suggest such an initiative? The Minister responsible, Deputy O'Brien, should bring in TII, the councils and everybody in the area for a functional and practical meeting where decisions would be made. This kind of delay is unacceptable. If somebody was able to listen to this on the radio in their car this morning and heard all of this while sitting outside Virginia, trying to get through the town on their way to a hard day's work in Dublin and looking forward to the prospect of the same delay in the evening while other people were cutting the other roads in the area to ribbons, what comfort would they take from this answer? In truth, I am hugely disappointed. The Minister of State is a man of action and a decent and good man. These people need to be brought into a room. Action is needed here. This is unacceptable to people who have paid their taxes.

I do not disagree with the Senator's reply. As he has said this morning, this project will alleviate traffic congestion, improve connectivity and bring an economic lift to the region. The Government is committed. It has allocated €9 million to Cavan County Council, including €7.4 million for capital protection, renewal and active travel and €1.5 million for new roads along with almost €500,000 for current maintenance. The M3 motorway and N3 national primary road is a strategic radial corridor for the north east. I will certainly bring the Senator's views back to the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, and to the officials in the Department. As I said in my response at the beginning, the preliminary business case is being submitted by TII. That does take time but it highlights the importance of the faster and more expeditious delivery of infrastructure on behalf of the people the Senator has spoken about his morning. I will take his concerns and views back to the Department.

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit, an Teachta McConalogue.

I thank the Minister of State, Deputy McConalogue, for being here with us this morning. I am seeking an urgent update from the Minister for education on the ongoing National Council for Special Education, NCSE, review of the special needs assistant, SNA, scheme. I refer in particular to the very real and immediate consequences the review is having on schools, children and teachers across the country.

In recent weeks, schools across my constituency of Cork North-West have been informed of significant reductions in SNA allocations arising from this review, including the schools in Kilmurry, Ballyhass and Bweeng, and in my own parish of Aghabullogue, to name a few. These decisions are being communicated to schools without clarity or transparency, and without any meaningful engagement with parents or staff. Aghabullogue National School has been notified that it is to lose one of its two SNAs, while Bweeng National School has been informed it will lose two SNAs. I have been inundated with calls and emails from parents and teachers who are incredibly concerned about this, and what it will mean in reality to remove these front-line supports.

As we all know, SNAs are not an extra or a luxury. They are essential to the safe, inclusive and effective functioning of many classrooms. Removing SNA support does not just affect the individual child. It affects the entire classroom because it affects the learning environment, the teacher's ability to teach and the well-being of every other pupil in the classroom. Teachers are telling me that without adequate SNA support, they will be asked to manage increasingly complex needs alone, while still delivering the curriculum to a full class. It is not fair or sustainable. It places teachers under enormous strain and, ultimately, undermines the quality of education for all children because this greater need will be placed on teachers where SNAs had been playing a role.

What I find particularly concerning are the strict criteria being applied by the SENOs under this review. Schools are basically being told that SNA support is now effectively reserved only for children assessed as having level 3 needs, such as toileting requirements, acute medical conditions or profound physical disabilities. This approach fails to recognise the reality of need in our classrooms today. Many children with autism, sensory processing difficulties, behavioural or emotional regulation challenges or significant learning needs may not meet this narrow definition. Nonetheless, they require consistent SNA support in order to allow them to access education in a fair manner. Early intervention in these cases is key, as we know. Reducing supports at primary level risks greater challenges further down the line and runs completely counter to our stated commitment to inclusive education.

Parents and teachers are anxious. There is a lack of clear communication from the Department about how decisions are being made and what the long-term vision for the SNA scheme actually is. Today, I am seeking clarity on the current status and timeline of the NCSE review of the SNA scheme, and an answer as to why so many children with significant needs are now deemed ineligible. Why are kids who, this time last year, were eligible for an SNA now suddenly ineligible? In the vast majority of circumstances, their needs have not changed. Why is their support being taken away? What reassurance can I, as a public representative, give to schools like Aghabullogue and Bweeng, and the many schools across the country that are affected by this, that the decision can be reviewed and revisited, with the potential for reinstatement?

We all agree that SNAs play a vital role in our education system, and nobody is disputing that. This review cannot result in a narrowing of support that will leave vulnerable children behind. I urge the Minister to listen to schools, parents and teachers, and ensure that any reform strengthens inclusive education.

I thank the Senator for raising this matter. The Government is fully committed to supporting children with special educational needs to fulfil their full potential, and the programme for Government makes a number of commitments to deliver on this objective. The NCSE has responsibility for co-ordinating and advising on the education provision and care support for children and young people with special educational needs in our schools, including the allocation of SNA support to schools.

Reflecting the central role that SNAs play in the successful inclusion of students with additional and significant care needs in schools, the Department of Education and Youth has been steadily building the level of SNA support in our education system. The number of SNAs allocated to schools nationally has increased by 45% since the 2020-21 school year. By the end of the 2026-27 school year, there will be close to 25,000 SNAs in our mainstream classes, special classes and special schools. They play a key role in supporting children and young people with care needs as part of a whole-school approach, which also includes almost 22,000 special education teachers across the country.

There are many reasons that the level of need for SNA support in schools may fluctuate, including falling enrolments, reduced or increased care needs and changing demographics as children move from primary to post-primary schools. The NCSE reviews of SNA allocation in schools across the country involve a very detailed examination of the care needs in all settings within the continuum of provision in a school in order to ensure that SNAs are allocated to schools to support students who have the greatest level of significant care needs.

A school that is not satisfied with the outcome of its SNA review may avail of the NCSE’s internal appeal mechanism, and full details are available on the NCSE website. In addition, the NCSE remains available to schools to provide advice on the deployment of their SNA allocation. The NCSE allocation and review processes are essential to ensure SNA support is provided where it is most needed.

The Department of Education and Youth is mindful of the impact of a reduction in allocation on SNAs personally. This is among the reasons the Department is working with the NCSE to develop an SNA redeployment scheme. This important policy initiative, which is in the final stages of development, will ensure that, as far as possible, competent, knowledgeable and experienced SNAs are retained in our schools.

The SNA redeployment scheme is being implemented for the 2025-26 school year, providing an opportunity for the redeployment of SNAs as the need arises for the start of the 2026-27 school year. It is important to note that SNAs in surplus posts identified through the NCSE’s SNA review process will remain in the relevant school for the rest of the 2025-26 academic year. Assuming no change to SNA allocations in the meantime, eligible SNAs in standard posts, both full-time and part-time, who opt for redeployment, may be redeployed to a new post in September 2026.

The Department of Education and Youth and the NCSE are committed to delivering an education system that is of the highest quality, where every child and young person feels valued and is actively supported and nurtured to reach their full potential.

I thank the Minister of State for taking this Commencement matter. I appreciate this is not within his portfolio.

I note the content of the response. I do not feel that it particularly provides many answers. The 45% increase in SNA allocation since the 2020-21 school year is well and good, but what will that figure be when we are back for the 2026-27 school year, when all of these reductions are taken into account?

The importance of the role of the SNA cannot be overstated. As I said earlier, they are providing a service which, in many cases, is the difference between kids being able to go to a mainstream school and having to go to a separate or special school. Taking these supports away means there is no way certain children will be able to stay in the mainstream. It will put massive pressure on teachers and classrooms, and potentially lower the standard of education that the rest of the children within schools are receiving.

This is an issue that affects many areas in my own constituency, but it is also affecting schools right across the country. I appreciate that there is a review and that an appeal system is in place. However, the feedback I am getting from teachers is that they are almost scared to put in an appeal because they are kind of being told that if they put in an appeal, there is every chance they could lose a further SNA. While I appreciate the need for the efficient use of resources, when we are talking about SNAs and educational supports, it is incredible that we are seeing such losses of SNAs under this review. If the need was there last year, and the circumstances of the children availing of the SNA support have not changed, why would they not be entitled to an SNA?

I will certainly relay the Senator's contribution and the issues she has raised to the Minister for education. I know and very much understand the value of SNAs. It is something the Government very much prioritises, which is why we have seen an across-the-board increase in the number of SNAs every year. It poses significant challenges for a school when there are changes, reviews and adjustments. It is important that each school engages with the NCSE regarding its concerns to ensure they are fully considered and communicated. There is also an appeals process. I will certainly report back on the Senator's contribution and relay the concerns she has raised to the Minister for education, Deputy Naughton.