Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Deputy Joan Burton raises the wider issue of how children with special needs are admitted and what provision is made for them. Over 60% of children with special needs are accommodated in mainstream classes. In terms of policy, the NCSE advises on what is the most appropriate setting for them. As I said, almost two thirds of children with special needs are in mainstream classes which are deemed to be the most appropriate settings. Where it is established that the needs of a child are such that a special unit is required, that provision is made. We have doubled the number of places in that regard in the space of five years. There are now 1,200 special units in schools and the level of provision is growing rapidly on foot of NCSE identifying a need.

As indicated by Deputy Thomas Byrne and others, the Department now has the power to compel a school, after a process, to provide a special unit where it is deemed by the NCSE to be necessary for children in the area. The NCSE, not the Department, advises on the best accommodation for a child, with or without a domiciliary care allowance. What we are seeking to do, in the context of the amendment, is to ensure that if special provision is made, it will be used for the purpose for which it is intended. The Deputies have raised the legitimate concern that a child presenting with additional complications could be refused on this ground. I will withdraw the amendment and ask my officials to re-examine the provision with a view to reintroducing the amendment on Report Stage when I will have a satisfactory explanation for the Deputies.