Ms Miriam Kenny:

I thank Deputy Collins for her question, and there has been an improvement in her own constituency of Dublin 6W. I have reflected on the matter and the reality is that Dublin 6W has large well-established schools and only one school is a fee-paying school. There has been some change in the provision to do with primary schools but not all of the larger primary schools have opened classes. Some parents move to the area to go to schools in the areas of Dublin 6W and Dublin 6. Children come from well outside the area to come to our schools, which means our own local children cannot attend their school. There are three of us in one estate who should attend a local school but, unfortunately, we cannot. That is very difficult for us because the whole area goes to that school. There has been some change and we welcome that but there is much more work to do.

Unfortunately, there has not been the same level of change in Dublin 6. Again, on reflection, we have different patron bodies in the area and a number of fee-paying schools. If you look at where classes have been set up historically and if you are looking at Dublin 14, Dublin 16 and Dublin 18, there are fee-paying schools in those areas. We would feel, and based on our data it will be found, that there are fewer special classes in those areas. What does that say to the committee? I am just going to leave that there.

We need to keep changing that. Great progress has been made with the Spiritan Education Trust that runs a number of fee-paying schools and is opening up a special school in the area, which is greatly welcomed. It will be the first educational trust that will open special classes within its fee-paying schools, which is a huge change. That is a change on its own behalf and the Spiritans have decided to do that. I will not list the schools but if members research that, they will find out what those schools are and they will know what I mean by that. We now need to see the same thing happening in the other schools of different patronage.

Children are very well supported in fee-paying schools and people do very much try to meet the needs of the children, but the funding would not be the same. Also, the funding for special classes in fee-paying schools has not been there historically. There needs to be change within that to encourage diversity and inclusion within these schools so children of all different needs, disabilities etc. are part of that school environment.

We have incredible schools in Dublin 6 and Dublin 6W. The testament to that is parents move to the area and try to ensure their children attend local schools.

On dental appointments, I have seen what is being referenced. If your child is in mainstream education and you apply for the special dental service to do with autistic children, you are told that your child cannot attend that service if he or she is not in a special class. That happened to us personally as parents. My husband, who is not here today, rang to ask and spoke very clearly that that is discriminatory. What the Department is saying is that a child who is autistic, who is in a mainstream environment and not in a specialist school setting cannot access dental appointments for autistic children. Historically, that is what has happened and I know the parents of Dublin 12 have raised this issue recently. My husband and I have experienced this as parents.