David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of Stated for her interesting response and for her engagement with me on this. I want to encourage her to keep battling to try to get this done. Is she aware there was agreement a number of years ago to establish a special school and a premises was identified? Then, for other reasons outside of everyone's control, that premises was no longer available and the plan was dropped. There was an acknowledgement at that stage by the Department and the NCSE that there was a need for a special school in the area.

That need has not gone away; in fact, it has increased if anything.

I welcome the extra places in Glanmire and Carrigaline but they are a long distance from Aghada, Youghal and so on. People travel to Dungarvan from east Cork, which is almost a 100 km round trip. Does the Minister of State agree it is unfair that children with additional needs have to travel long distances out of their area and away from their locality while their brothers and sisters can go to a school down the road? A site is available in Midleton that I can tell the Minister of State about. It can be leased long term and they can put a school up there with planning in a short period of time. Will the Minister of State engage with us on this? The need is huge, has been there for quite some time and has not gone away.

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