The Minister for Education has said he expects to give the green light this Friday to a summer programme for children with special educational needs, which will be reliant on the "volunteerism" and "goodwill" of teachers and SNAs.
The Dáil has heard that the July Provision - the annual summer special educational needs programme - normally operates to benefit more than 10,000 children with severe and profound intellectual disabilities and those with autism.
This year, it will be expanded to include children with Down Syndrome and any children who are at the greatest risk of regression.
Minister for Education Joe McHugh said that parents of those children with special educational needs will be "given the green light" for their children to