Liam Quaide (Cork East, Social Democrats)

I am going to mention a particular issue - I am not expecting the witnesses to be familiar with it - to illustrate the broader question. I have been working with a campaign group in Youghal in County Cork, Bridging the Gap, which was set up by parents of children with additional needs to address the very serious shortfall in secondary level additional needs placements in Youghal and the broader catchment area. For this group of families, their children's educational needs are, for the most part, well served at primary level at the moment. However, in the longer term they are facing the prospect of very long commutes to places as far away as Waterford city or Cork city. Obviously, the idea that their children will be dislocated from their communities for their secondary level education and will endure daily, gruelling commutes that will add a huge amount of stress to their lives is a source of huge concern for them. There is an autism hub in the sole secondary school in Youghal, which is a very large school of more than 1,200 students. My understanding is that the staff-to-student ratios are similar there to what the children have at primary level at the moment. It is the school setting itself that is the main challenge for integration. For autistic children, a school of that size, with very busy corridors and a lot of movement from one class to the next can be sensorially overwhelming, as we all know, or it can bring on emotional dysregulation. So, even if there were enough school placements in the secondary school for the geographical area, these environmental factors appear insurmountable in the absence of a further extension to the school. There is an extension planned, but it is not going to accommodate the number of children that will need placement in Youghal. Does the NDA advise the Government on how to strike a balance in cases like this, whereby integration of children with additional needs is maximised, while the sensory and emotional needs of the students are also fully acknowledged and accommodated in school buildings?