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

I thank Deputy Daly. She has a question tabled on St. Michael's House special school in Skerries. There is a project to deliver a new building at St. Michael's House. It will provide a new 14-classroom school, expandable to 16 classrooms, which will potentially increase its capacity from 30 students to 96. A potential site has now been identified after initial efforts were unsuccessful. A site acquisition process is now under way.

We intend to establish this coming September 17 new special classes in County Dublin. I do not have the details on where they will be but I understand some will be in the area the Deputy is concerned about. The NCSE is working with communities on expansion.

To give the Deputy a measure of the progress, there were 66 special classes in 2011 and there are now 178. We are adding another 17 to that. We are making very significant progress on expanding provision in this area. A meeting with parents was organised to discuss the needs and to make sure our plans take those needs into account.

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