Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I would welcome receiving the details. There is an entitlement to appeal any decision. Where parents have applied to a school for a place for their child and deem the NCSE's specification of so many hours of additional resource teaching or a special class in due course to be unsatisfactory, the decision can be appealed. There is such a process in place.

It is, undoubtedly, the case that although roughly 100 additional classes are being opened every year, there is a requirement for six children or at least the prospect that this number will be reached to make a class sustainable. If only one child was to be identified this year, the school would have to be able to show there was the prospect of forming a sustainable class. As I stated, 100 additional classes are opened every year. In the past four years 600 have been approved. There has been significant expansion of resources in this area. I can assure the Deputy that we will examine the cases she has outlined and ensure this expanding area is properly dealt with. We have undertaken a review to ensure the investment in resource teachers and SNAs is having the best possible impact on the children involved. I hope the review will inform future policy.

See this speech in context