Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions
Dail Éireann — 2026-02-24
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Holly Cairns (SD), Cork South-West

At the outset, a Cheann Comhairle, I want to express that our thoughts are with the families, friends and communities of the seven people who lost their lives on a road over the weekend.
This Government claims that disability rights are a priority, but the Taoiseach's words on disability have not been matched by action. The Government has found €19 million to postpone the proposed cuts to SNAs, of course not before forcing exhausted parents to once again fight the State for the support their children are entitled to. If he has not yet done so, I encourage the Taoiseach to read Ciara Reilly's Substack articles on this issue. They are incredibly informative and they are from the perspective of a mum, a teacher and a tireless advocate.
What everybody needs to know now is what is going to happen next. Instead of once again reaching for a quick fix, is the Taoiseach going to deliver the structural reform that is needed? To do that, there first must be acknowledgement that the current approach has not worked, is not working and is not going to work going forward. I think we agree that the definition of the role of an SNA is too narrow, too restrictive and does not reflect reality. This needs to be acknowledged in the upcoming review and it needs to be fixed. Disability is not just physical and disability supports should not be allocated on such narrow grounds. We know children's needs are complex and that there needs to be a level of discretion baked into the system in order to provide children with the support they need.
We also need to look at the bigger picture. This issue is part of a much deeper problem. The average adult to child ratio in our primary school classes is far above the EU average. Large classes compound the needs of children and result in less one-to-one time for kids. It is clear it is time to focus more on the recruitment of teachers. Also central to this are special education teachers. Complex needs must be reintroduced into the criteria for SET allocation. The removal of this criterion was a step in the complete wrong direction and has put children, teachers and SNAs in an untenable position. Crucially, special classes must be central to this discussion. The future of many special classes was brought into question when these cuts were announced. This pause has not given parents and teachers the certainty they need. Schools that need special classes, whether it is their first one or additional ones, need to be supported to open them and keep them open.
The Department of education is responsible for realising the constitutional right to education every child in Ireland has. It cannot continue to foist responsibility onto individual schools or the National Council for Special Education. What is the plan? Will the Taoiseach reassure children, their parents and school communities that the Government recognises that bigger picture and will change the approach?

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-02-24/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:40+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-02-24