An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business
Seanad Éireann — 2026-02-17
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Pauline Tully (SF), Cultural and Educational Panel

The recent letters announcing cuts in special needs assistants, SNAs, in schools have caused much concern and distress to students, parents, school staff and especially SNAs. The announcement today by the Minister for education that the review is to be paused does not go far enough. It needs to be reversed immediately. The Minister referred to engagement over the coming weeks on this issue with the Taoiseach and Tánaiste. It is not clear who else she intends to engage with. I hope it is the wider sector. It would have made sense to have that engagement first before announcing these cuts. We need to identify the need and then meet it with the resources needed.
In the 1990s, SNAs were introduced to schools. It allowed schools to integrate students with additional needs into mainstream schools. This was going to be a retrograde step. It was sending them back and segregating students with additional needs again, because they were going to be pointed towards special classes and special schools where the resources are if they are taken out of mainstream. We need to see the proper resources put into mainstream to assist our students who have autism, ADHD or a different additional learning need, who do not need a special class or a special school and manage well in mainstream with that little bit of support that they were already getting. Students with access to SNAs currently were not just based on primary care needs. Suddenly, this was being cut and given only to those who have primary care needs. That is so unfair. It is such a blunt instrument and is causing significant distress.
The pause is not sufficient. It needs to be reversed. A proper investigation needs to be made into what resources precisely are needed in our schools. We know that many more children are presenting with additional needs. Early intervention is key and that is not happening at the moment. If early intervention was provided to the children who need it when they need it, we would need fewer supports as they get older and they would be able to reduce their SNA reliance as they progress through the education system. That is what we need to see happening.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-02-17/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:38+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-02-17