Emer Higgins (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

There is no denying that the education of our children will be severely impacted upon by this crisis. When students return to school, notwithstanding the mammoth efforts of teachers and parents to home-school them, their education will have to be accelerated in order to catch up on the many months of missed schooling. Not all students will be able for this. Children with special needs may struggle with a faster pace. I am pleased to hear that the Minister engaged today with organisations including Down Syndrome Ireland, which has also been in contact with me. I have received many queries from the parents of children with special needs, particularly those who live in Lucan.

Some of them are considering whether repeating the year is the best thing for their children but this raises new challenges. Will there be sufficient space in next year's class for them to repeat? Will there be enough special needs assistants in the class to cope with additional students? Could the Minister outline what plans are in place for children with special needs who wish to repeat the year?

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