The government is making it up as it goes along when it comes to a review of SNA allocations, according to Social Democrats spokesperson for children Aidan Farrelly.
Deputy Farrelly said:
“The government created utter turmoil for families and schools this week with its botched SNA review, which was abruptly paused on Tuesday in response to growing public anger.
“Today, one of the ministers responsible for this shambles, Special Education Minister Michael Moynihan, said that there is “no point” in providing a completion date for this review.
“It is clear that the government is making it up as it goes along when it comes to this SNA review – and is leaving chaos and anxiety in its wake.
“Parents, children and school communities remain in the dark about this process and are hugely concerned about the prospect of losing critical special education supports in the autumn.
“It is an indictment of this government’s disastrous approach to this issue that the Minister cannot give any information about what this review will entail and how long it will take.
“Key to all of this is the government’s attempt to narrow the entitlement to SNA support to children with physical needs – and strip support from children who need SNA assistance to help with emotional regulation, behaviour management and access to education.
“The government must get its act together and commit to urgently publishing the SNA workforce plan to bring clarity to this issue, and stop treating SNAs like chess pieces on a board.”
February 20th, 2026