John Lahart (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Fianna Fáil secured that under the supply-and-confidence agreement, but I have listed 37 schools in which this just is not happening, including schools in which there were new developments recently and no ASD unit was included. A parent wrote to me:

Thank you [that is, Deputy Thomas Byrne and me] for meeting with us ... My son Dylan is currently at home without an education since December. ...

I applied to 26 schools for 2018/2019 (3 special schools, 22 mainstream schools with ASD classes and one other mainstream school .... [These are all outside of this area.] He has had 3 tutors start and leave since September .... A tutor agreed to teach him in early February but changed her mind on the fourth day. We are currently paying a childminder 5 mornings a week to mind him while a tutor who has agreed to teach him is sanctioned. ...

I have had many meetings with our local school principal to discuss the possibility of enrolment there. I have chosen to keep Dylan out of mainstream education until September as sufficient resources would not be available for him to spend the full school day in school until that time.

This requires an intervention from the Minister for Education and Skills. He has considerable power. Something is breaking down here that I can list 37 schools in three postal districts in which there is neither an ASD unit nor provision for the educational needs of children on the spectrum.

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