Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

As has been said, there is an acute shortage. This was recognised by the Minister of State's colleague when she said the NCSE is aware of the emerging need in north Dublin. The council is aware that there is a need so the Government cannot be blind to the fact that there is an issue. It is obviously in receipt of all the representations. My constituency colleagues probably send in the same number of representations that I do but, unlike them, I operate two offices in the constituency. I am very available and, therefore, get a lot of people who walk in as well as emails and telephone calls. The individuals are at the end of their tether. Finding €7,500 to supplement services for one's child when one is a lone parent on a fixed income is really tough. That is what parents are doing. When they do get allocated a place, it is very often not in the local area. Every morning, the parents get up and put their children on a bus to Drogheda. That is heartbreaking. They know their children are going to spend an hour on the bus. They want the children to be educated locally. They believe that, by virtue of the fact that the children have a special or additional need, they are not treated with any kind of priority by the State. They are being left behind. We can advocate on behalf of all the individuals and do so, but there needs to be a strategy. It needs to acknowledge what the NCSE has acknowledged, which is that there is an emerging need in north Dublin. The need is not emerging; it exists now and it is real. Despite this, we do not see any action.

Deputy Daly and I wrote to the Minister, Deputy McHugh. We sought a meeting and he is refusing to meet us. What does that say to the parents and children about the sort of standing and priority they will be afforded by the State?

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