Michael Moynihan (Cork North-West, Fianna Fail)

I take the point on the three children the Deputy mentioned. When children have enrolled in a specific school, that need is documented right through to the Department and the NCSE. We try to make fast decisions about the supports to be put in place. I am well aware of a number of children in special classes or mainstream classes awaiting modular buildings being completed. We are working extremely hard to make sure those modular buildings are completed in a meaningful time. The one commitment I will give is that because we moved the date back to 1 October 2025 for the school year starting in 2026, we will not have children waiting for modular buildings. Decisions will be made earlier in the school year and the buildings will be open in a meaningful time. The people on the ground, for example, SENOs and the NCSE, are constantly advising us of challenges with particular children in particular counties. There are a number of issues within the numbers. We are not blind to the challenges across the country with specific children and specific places. We fully understand that.

During the year, parents will start off by trying to mainstream their children and when they see that is not working, they look for special classes. We will engage with them to ensure we do that. We are not blind to the challenges that are there, but we have pathways for most people. There are spaces available. We will be working with those families and children throughout the year.

The one thing I ask is that the Deputy share with us the specifics of the school authorities waiting on resources.