Fiona O'Loughlin (Kildare South, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I would like to reflect on what the Minister has said about special education. I accept that progress has been made in the past decade. There is a lack of forward planning in this area, however. I would like to mention a specific case in which an ASD unit was opened in a primary school - Scoil na Naomh Uilig, Newbridge - but, eight or ten years later, no such provision was made in the secondary schools in the community. Having spoken to my colleagues from around the country, I have no doubt that this situation is mirrored elsewhere. Solutions tend to be found at the last minute. They are cobbled together in the run-up to September - perhaps just six months in advance - to try to resolve the issue. I do not think the section 29 system is the right system to use because it puts schools in difficult positions and creates adversarial relationships between parents and schools from day one. There could and should be much better planning to ensure children with special needs who have had the opportunity to be in mainstream primary schools - I agree with the Minister that this is the best situation for such children - get the proper type of follow-through at second level. We still have an awful lot of work to do in this regard.