Mick Barry (Cork North Central, Solidarity) | Oireachtas source

Should schools, where necessary, be compelled to establish ASD units? Yes, they should. The situation on the ground speaks volumes as to why that is a necessary step. I cite the example of County Cork where we have 148 ASD classes in primary schools but a mere 55 ASD classes in secondary schools. That gap, approaching the 3:1 mark, is growing year on year. The situation in many other countries is worse than it is in County Cork. Those statistics do not take into account in any sense the child who goes to primary school and is not in an ASD class but who needs an ASD class when they go to secondary school. That includes a significant number of students. The situation is added to by that cohort. Currently, every special class in Cork city is in a DEIS school. That is not a position that should be maintained.

Do we support the idea that ASD units or classes should be provided with schools being compelled, if necessary, to do so? Yes, we do. Are we fully satisfied with the mechanism the Minister has put in place. No, we are not. We believe it is tortuous. A process which can play out over a period of seven or eight months is too long. We are in agreement with the points that have been raised, namely, that there is provision for the schools, the patrons and the boards but sufficient care and attention has not been given to the needs of the child. We agree also with the idea that linking this to funding can be an effective way to compel schools to do what needs to be done in the interests of the children. We may tease out those points a little further before the Bill proceeds to the next Stage. The basic point is that schools can be compelled to establish an ASD unit through an intervention, and we will support that provision.

See this speech in context