Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 22 January 2025
532. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Education the reason a sensory chair for a student to assist in their learning, recommended by the assigned HSE occupational therapist for a school (details supplied) has been refused funding by her Department when other chairs are approved; and when children with additional needs and therapeutic supports should be prioritised. [46669/24]
View answerSchools are supported through funding from the furniture & equipment scheme (F&E) to have sufficient appropriate furniture and equipment to meet the needs of the vast majority of children. However, as the furniture and equipment needs of some children are highly sensitive and individualised, these applications for funding are dealt with on a case-by-case basis. For this small cohort of children, part of the application process requires the submission of an Occupational Therapist’s (OT) report which details the individual requirements of a child, and the associated furniture and equipment needs. It is not always possible to fund individual sensory and therapeutic items, as some of the items recommended by an OT are outside the current remit of the scheme. It should be noted that the items referred to by the Deputy are all items that fall within the remit of the F&E scheme and would normally be provided by my Department when recommended by an OT.
