The Minister of State for Disability has ordered the HSE to pause the rollout of the Progressing Disability Services programme.

It comes after the new programme would have pulled Speech and Language Therapists away from their on-site work in special schools and into one of 96 children's disability network teams.

Parents and teachers were concerned about how well the child's needs would be met if they had to be removed from the classroom to avail of therapies they used to receive in house.

However, Minister Anne Rabbitte has paused the rollout of the programme, and decided that no on-site therapies will be removed from special schools.

In this podcast, Newstalk Reporter Kacey O'Riordan brings this exclusive interview with the Minister, and Kieran speaks to Eimear O'Rourke, principal of Holy Family School for the Deaf in Cabra who had just learned that her service provision is not now going to change.