Fiona O'Loughlin (Kildare South, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

As politicians we spend much time dealing with the challenges and problems about which our constituents come to us. These include housing, health, roads, grants and care packages but the ones I find the hardest to hear about and to deal with concern parents whose children with special needs cannot get a place in a school for love or money. Sadly, these stories are all too common because of the current system. As a former teacher, I have been familiar with this problem for many years. Hundreds of children in Ireland who have autism or special needs are still without appropriate school places, although it is now almost October. Approximately 850 young people receive home tuition rather than attending school, which is at a cost of €5.6 million to the taxpayer. This is not good enough. Schools are not only places of academic learning, but also are for socialisation and are places where children can develop in areas of emotional and social intelligence. These children, along with the children on reduced timetables - something that was discussed at length at committee yesterday - are invisible in our system and our statistics. Parents of children with special needs are used to advocating and fighting for their children but they are tired. They have been fighting all their lives. I meet them every week and speak to them by phone every day. There is no greater love than that of a parent for a child with special needs who is vulnerable. They want to do their very best for their children but feel they are failing them because they are unable to secure a place. The State is failing these children. We call on the Government to radically improve the system with increased monitoring. We also call for better planning. We need a five-year plan, as schools should be equipped with forward knowledge and statistical projections.

Last night, I spoke to a parent whose son is in first class in a junior school. While he should be going into second class in the senior school, which is part of the same school on the same campus, he cannot. There are three children in the ASD unit but only one place in the ASD unit in the senior school. The school is accepting a child who is coming down from Dublin. The parents have applied to 25 schools but have got nothing. I rest my case.

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