Vol. 745 Wednesday, No. 1 26 October 2011 DÍOSPÓIREACHTAÍ PARLAIMINTE PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES DÁIL ÉIREANN TUAIRISC OIFIGIÚIL—Neamhcheartaithe (OFFICIAL REPORT—Unrevised) Dé Céadaoin, 26 Deireadh Fómhair 2011. Leaders’ Questions ……………………………… 1 Order of Business ……………………………… 9 International Agreements: Motion ………………………… 17 Statement of Estimates for Houses of the Oirechtas Commission: Motion …………… 17 EU Summits: Statements …………………………… 17 Central Bank (Supervision and Enforcement) Bill 2011: Second Stage (resumed) ………… 42 Ceisteanna — Questions Minister for Defence Priority Questions …………………………… 46 Other Questions …………………………… 52 Topical Issue Matters ……………………………… 65 Topical Issue Debate Daylight Saving Time …………………………… 66 EU Funding ……………………………… 68 Minority Faith Schools …………………………… 70 Summer Works Scheme …………………………… 72 Central Bank (Supervision and Enforcement) Bill 2011: Second Stage (resumed) …………………………… 74 Referral to Select Committee ………………………… 95 Message from Select Committee ………………………… 95 Health (Provision of General Practitioner Services) Bill 2011: Order for Second Stage …………………………… 95 Second Stage ……………………………… 95 Personal Explanation by Minister of State ……………………… 108 Private Members’ Business Health Services Delivery: Motion (resumed) …………………… 108 Report by the Interdepartmental Working Group on Mortgage Arrears: Statements (resumed) … … 137 Questions: Written Answers …………………………… 145 DÁIL ÉIREANN DÍOSPÓIREACHTAÍ PARLAIMINTE PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES TUAIRISC OIFIGIÚIL OFFICIAL REPORT Imleabhar 745 Volume 745 Dé Céadaoin, 26 Deireadh Fómhair 2011. Wednesday, 26 October 2011. ———— Chuaigh an Ceann Comhairle i gceannas ar 10.30 a.m. ———— Paidir. Prayer. ———— Leaders’ Questions Deputy Micheál Martin: Before the election the Taoiseach not only promised to maintain special needs assistance provision in education but he also supported a motion in this House to increase funding for special needs assistants, SNAs, this year. In September, parents of children with special needs who were starting the new school year were told that there would be a 10% reduction in the number of special needs assistants. In addition, the Government unilaterally decided to withhold 475 special needs assistants from the country’s classrooms. It took only months for the Taoiseach to abandon promises such as no cuts to special needs assistance, and none of the promises he made in February came with small print. After eight months he has settled into his role in Government. It is a Government that is dismissive of the Oireachtas and of anybody who challenges it. The Taoiseach cannot cover up the enormous and growing scale of his broken promises. Schools throughout the country will be on mid-term break next week. I am told by parents, teachers and special needs assistants that the special needs provision and the allocation of special needs assistants are still very inflexible and that there is a huge disconnect between what is happening on the ground and what we hear officially from the Government and the Department of Education and Skills. I have met many parents, teachers and special needs assistants who have articulated this and the fact that real need is being deprived in our schools and children who deserve special needs assistants are not getting that provision. 1 Leaders’ 26 October 2011. Questions [Deputy Micheál Martin.] During a previous Leaders’ Questions the Taoiseach promised that every child who required special needs assistance provision would get it. That is not happening. Can the Taoiseach out- line if the 475 posts that were withheld have been allocated to children who are in desperate need of such provision, so they can have their constitutional right to an education? The Taoiseach: There has not been a 10% reduction in SNA numbers. A total of 10% were held back for very good reasons, for example, for cases where sickness or injury might occur, for new pupils and so forth. The majority of those have already been allocated to schools under the appropriate guidelines. The Deputy is aware that the number of SNAs was capped at 10,575. The Minister made a 90% allocation and held back 10%, the majority of whom are now being allocated to schools. We all have access to parents and SNA personnel to discuss the work they do and the responsibility in that regard. The Minister for Education and Skills is due to meet with the National Council for Special Education, NCSE, tomorrow and any issues the council wishes to raise with him will be listened to and dealt with by the Minister directly. Deputy Micheál Martin: The problem, as I have said repeatedly in the House, is that there is a huge disconnect between what we hear officially and what is happening on the ground and what parents and schools are being told. I cannot articulate that strongly enough. In one case a school with children with severe and profound autism had two teachers summarily removed. The response it received from the Department was that the Department had nothing to do with national council. The Taoiseach said the Minister is due to meet the council. However, everybody outside the House is being told that the Minister cannot intervene with the National Council for Special Education. Can we get away from this parallel universe in Dáil Éireann, which appears to be oblivious of the needs of people and what is happening in terms of the withdrawal of special needs assistants? Deputy Emmet Stagg: There was no withdrawal of special needs assistants. Deputy Micheál Martin: There is no need to reference the troika either. My colleagues met with the troika last week and it made it clear that specific detailed policies were a matter for the Government. It was only concerned with global issues in terms of the bottom line. An Ceann Comhairle: We are not dealing with the troika at the moment. Deputy Micheál Martin: Can the Taoiseach give a commitment that the 475 special needs assistants will be allocated? That 10% was part of the full year costing and it is now nearly the end of the year, so there has been a little sleight of hand in the withholding of that amount for so long. Will the Taoiseach also confirm that the Government will protect special needs edu- cation in the forthcoming budget? The Taoiseach: As a former Minister for Education the Deputy will be aware that the end of the school year is the end of next June. Deputy Micheál Martin: I am talking about the budget year. Do not be smart. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan: Do not go there. The Taoiseach: Of course, and it is the calendar year as well. There are 80 special educational needs organisers, SENOs, dealing with 18,000 pupils in this case. The Deputy made an alle- gation of a disconnect and commented about people living in a parallel universe. Politicians 2 Leaders’ 26 October 2011. Questions will always blame the person with responsibility. In a democracy it is always right to be able to point out who is responsible and in charge. The Minister for Education and Skills is dealing with this directly. When the council meets him its representatives will be able to articulate, with more time and more examples, the issues to which the Deputy refers. They will not be talking to an official but to the Minister. He has set out his policy in the House. He held back 10% of the SNAs for a very good reason and he will deal with the issues raised by the council when he meets its representatives tomorrow. There is no disconnect and no living in a parallel universe. Deputy Michael McGrath: There is in the schools. The Taoiseach: There is an addressing of the reality as we find it. In this case, the Deputy has articulated a valid question. The Minister for Education and Skills accepts his responsibil- ities and is dealing directly with the council. If its representatives can give examples of where the current policy is inadequate or is not fulfilling the needs as determined by the professional assessors of children’s needs in this case, they will have the opportunity to say that to the Minister directly and for him to give his response. Deputy Micheál Martin: The letters people are getting say the Minister cannot intervene. Deputy Gerry Adams: Ar dtús, go n-éirí an t-ádh leis an Taoiseach ag an chruinniú Com- haontas Eorpach níos moille inniu, ach tá níos mó ná“Tá” de dhíth ag an Taoiseach agus caithfidh sé athrú móradhéanamh. Mar shampla, on 30 September in Warsaw the Taoiseach ruled out treaty change as part of the effort to solve the euro crisis and he repeated this on 10 October yet on Sunday it is reported that he and other European leaders agreed treaty change. He is involved in negotiating a 50% to 60% writedown in Greek debt, yet he refused to make the case for reductions in banking debt in Ireland. He laments the lack of money here for job creation for various people yet is prepared to pay billions of euro to unguaranteed bondholders in Anglo Irish Bank. Mar a dúirt mé go minic leis an Taoiseach, tá rogha ag an Rialtas — seasamh leis an daonlathas nó leis an super elite. Is léir go bhfuil Fine Gael agus Páirtí an Lucht Oibre leis an super elite. Next Wednesday the Government will pay out €700 million to unguaranteed bondholders and a total of €2 billion between now and the end of January. There are three questions I wish to put to the Taoiseach. Does he still oppose any further centralisation of fiscal powers and will he assure the House that any treaty changes will be put to a referendum? Will he seek a writedown of Irish banking debt at today’s summit? Will he give a clear commitment not to pay €700 million next Wednesday to unguaranteed bond- holders? Some €700 million would pay for special needs assistants and hospitals and it would mean no welfare cuts, no household charges and no universal social charge.