Josepha Madigan (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Deputy is correct that ASD units are extremely important. Within the school building programme, there is obviously scope to provide special educational needs, SEN, classes, which we do. It is worth noting that, in 2011, there were only 548 special classes whereas, for the year 2019-20, there are a total of 1,618 special classes.

I am aware of the fact autism in particular is growing in prevalence, not just in Ireland but internationally. It is something we are looking at. I know the National Council for Special Education, NCSE, has a forecasting model and a five-year plan so we can ensure every child who has special needs will obtain access to a class. As the Minister indicated, there are approximately 200 school building projects which will deliver some 116 new SEN rooms across the country. It is an issue we are extremely aware of. There are many different reasons for the increase in autism, which we can talk about at another time. Suffice to say, the building unit has confirmed to me that every new school built in the future will automatically provide those SEN units, which will alleviate the need to look for places in the future. We will try to work in a collaborative way to ensure existing schools can open up classes and, if not, we will look to opening up new schools or to expanding the existing schools.