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

I will do my best to answer the many questions asked and the Deputy might please let me know if I do not. Down's syndrome children were included last year and they will be included this year.

Arising from the comment about Deputy Andrews, I recently met representatives of Autism Equality Dublin Bay on the lack of special class places in Dublin 2 and 4. There is a process outside of the section 37A. The National Council for Special Education liaises and engages with schools on special classes and all of the time outside of the section 37A. The section 37A process is a very valid mechanism and has its benefits but it should only really ever be used as a last resort. However, I will use it if I have to. There will be 1,200 places next year.

Deputy Tully mentioned a particular ASD unit. Earlier I mentioned that there has been a considerable growth of 235% since 2011. There will be 189 ASD special classes this year and that is out of 197 new special classes in total. As I said, there will 1,200 special class places but 189 of those are for ASD pupils, 12 are early intervention, 113 are primary and 64 are post-primary.

The culture and ethos of a school is really important. It has been hard to determine, I think historically, whether it is simply a lack of places or whether schools do not want to take a class. That culture and ethos is changing slowly. Obviously we try to encourage patron bodies and other organisations and schools to voluntarily open a special class where it is needed rather than trigger the section 37A mechanism, which we only want to do where we absolutely have to.

The Deputy mentioned the technology, I think, for a ten-year-old boy. There is an assistive technology scheme. Some €100 million has gone into that. There are ICT grants available for schools as well. The SENO can liaise through the NCSE, which, in turn, engages with the Department if there are any particular issues. I can certainly talk to Deputy Tully about that particular case off-line another time if she wishes.