July 2013 Council Meeting
Notice of Motion in the Name of Cllr Sinead Guckian
At the July meeting of Leitrim County Council I ask for the support of members in calling on the Minister to reverse the Government’s decision not to hire the additional special needs assistants, who are necessary to ensure students who require special needs help to participate in school do not see an average cut of 10% in the hours available to them in September. The Government needs to ensure additional provision is made to match the increase in demand.
Speaking at the July meeting of Leitrim County Council Cllr Guckian said
“Prior to me placing my motion there were calls nationally, by parents, teachers and concerned groups, calling on the Fine Gael/Labour Government to take two specific actions. First, to reverse its decision not to hire the additional resource teachers who will be required in September in order that special needs students do not have to endure a 12% cut in their teaching hours. Secondly, calling for the reversal of the Government’s decision not to hire the additional special needs assistants who are necessary to ensure students who require special needs help to participate in school do not see an average cut of 10% in the hours available to them in September.
I welcome the Minister’s announcement following the media briefing that he will reverse his decision on the employment of resource teachers.
It is crucial now that the Government also reverse its decision to cut the special needs assistance hours which will be available to high need students who qualify for and depend on the help of special needs assistants to help them during the school day. The Minister needs to apply the same treatment and criteria, to special needs assistance hours that he applied to resource teaching hours. He needs to ensure additional provision is made to match the increase in demand for SNA’s come September.
It is my understanding that come the first week of term this September some 22,000 students will need to avail of special needs assistance in order to participate fully in school life. The equivalent figure was 20,000 in the school year just ended. Even though there has been a 10% increase in the number of students who qualify for special needs assistance, the Minister has not increased the number of special needs assistants he plans to hire. That means that there will be the same number of special needs assistants in schools as last year, by and large, even though the number of students looking to avail of their services will have increased by 10%.
If the Minister’s decision is not reversed, the special needs assistants in some schools will have to spread themselves thinner and divide themselves among a large number of students and therefore students will not be able to avail of the required level of service this September. Some students who had a dedicated special needs assistant because of their high levels of need will now have to share that assistant with another student.
I welcome the support of all my colleagues, cross party, to who indorsed my motion and hope that the Minister will address this issue of great concern, without further delay”.
Question in the Name of Cllr Sinead Guckian July Meeting of Leitrim County Council:-
At the July meeting of Leitrim County Council I will ask the Director of Services, Infrastructure to investigate the possibility of pulling back a section of the grass margin on the N4 at Fearnaght, Annaduff, to allow for better visibility of approaching N4 traffic for residents exiting the Fearnaght road onto the N4. I would also ask, as an interim measure, that the grass margin would be cut as soon as possible as it is extremely difficult to exit onto the N4 as visibility of the N4 traffic is impaired by the current grass height. It is particularly dangerous crossing the N4, with the speed of vehicles on same.
REPLY:This junction was designed in accordance with the Design Manual for Roads and Bridges. Sight distances at this junction are 215m in both directions as required. The grass margins are not interfering with these sight distances. However, verges along the N4 are currently being trimmed as part of our road maintenance programme. Fearnaght Road L1475 is included in the
2013 Road Works Programme. Works will include for slight widening of the junction, drainage works and the road and the junction will be overlaid and road marking restored. These works will commence later in July.
Councillor Sinead Guckian welcomed the proposed work- 08/07/2013
Question in the Name of Cllr Sinead Guckian July Meeting of Leitrim County Council:-
At the July meeting of Leitrim County Council I will ask the Director of Services, Infrastructure, to carry out immediate repairs on the L1001, Aghnahunshin, Rooskey.
REPLY: The road in question will receive routine maintenance repairs within the confines of the limitations of the funding available.
Councillor Sinead Guckian requested that this work would be carried out as soon as possible- 08/07/2013
