Kathleen Funchion (Carlow-Kilkenny, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The Minister referred to the fact that I have raised this issue on a number of occasions. As a result, I have met even more parents. Every time I speak about this, more people contact us. These parents do not want to have to come into my office of an evening to tell their stories and they should not have to do so. Obviously, however, there is a very serious issue here. There is definitely some major breakdown with the NCSE because time and time again, it tells us there are enough places. There clearly are not enough places. I think the Minister may have said there were seven post-primary places, if I heard him correctly. There are not. There are not seven schools at secondary level offering ASD classes to students. If they are, they are obviously hiding somewhere. What happens if a secondary school tells a parent and his or her child that there is no space in a school for the child? People who progress very well in an ASD class at primary level are then forced into a mainstream secondary school, often not even having the assistance of a special needs assistant or resource hours, and then they completely fall through the cracks of the education system. It is absolutely not good enough, and I ask the Minister to meet the parents in Kilkenny about this because I do not accept what the NCSE is saying. It is not the first time I have raised this issue, and we consistently get the same response. It does not reflect the reality on the ground.

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