Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

That is a very significant body of work and an important piece of work. The whole area of special education, particularly in the last number of years, has really evolved. It is a personal view in terms of how we move forward. There is a vision that there would be colocation, that is, there would be a mainstream school and a special school all within the one campus with a view to integration. There would be a better reflection of the comings and goings of society as well. I want to be clear that it is my view that there is always a place for a special school too.

With regard to mainstream schools, members will have seen the huge emphasis we have placed on additional special classes. We now have 3,000 special classes in the system. We have an investment of €2.7 billion in special education. We have 40,000 professionals working in the area of special education. The emphasis all the time is on integration and moving forward. We have been very fortunate with the level of engagement that has come from all stakeholders, and also the views and opinions of the general public. There is an opportunity here. We are already doing colocation. We have a number of schools on one campus in the Cork area that the Deputy will be very familiar with. That is a very positive way forward.

A total of 496 special classes are available in Cork, and 76 of the new classes for 2023-2024 will also be in Cork. There has been a huge explosion of services in special education.