Cathal Crowe (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the representatives of the Department for being here today. I will address my questions to Mr. Loftus and I do not mind who answers them. Of course, I am biased, as she is a colleague and friend of mine, but there is a great Minister leading the Department. There is a huge amount of work under way in the area that I represent in Clare at the moment. I also see this when I take the train or drive up to the Dáil, as more progress has been made in educational building projects than I have seen in a long time. I am also a primary school teacher by profession. I was 16 years in the classroom. I have seen, both in my own school and in neighbouring schools, how projects that were in the doldrums for years are now taking off. They are moving through the stages of planning and many more are under construction. My first question relates to special schools and classes. What work is being undertaken to plan for new schools in the area of special education and special classes? What has been delivered in that realm since this Government took office?