Special Educational Needs
Seanad Éireann — 2026-02-11
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Lorraine Clifford-Lee (FF), Nominated by the Taoiseach

I am happy to hear that the Minister of State is very much aware of the impact of reading classes and schools in transforming the lives of the young people who have been lucky enough to access them. The Government has invested a huge amount of money in mainstream and learning supports but for some children that is not enough. The severity of their dyslexia is such that they require specialised intervention in the form of a reading class. The Minister of State mentioned a report. Will he let me know when he expects that to be available?
The child I referred to is just one example of many. That child is below the first percentile. What is his family to do? He is eight years old. This is the optimum time for him to access a reading class but none is available. I do not know what to say to this family or what hope I can give them that, for next September, there will be a place available for him in north County Dublin.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-02-11/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:37+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-02-11