Joe McHugh (Donegal, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Deputy spoke about school places for children with special educational needs. What has happened here is that this is not just a Dublin or Cork based issue any more. Obviously there was a lot of pressure last year in Dublin 15. I did enact the legislation to which the Deputy referred but critical to that legislation was the co-operation of school authorities. We had a tremendous focus on the ground, engaging with the principals. I want to acknowledge, in particular, Monsignor Dan O'Connor who was pivotal in ensuring that we got the extra places. There may be issues in Offaly or other parts of the Deputy's constituency with regard to places. Obviously, school principals may have reservations and concerns about what this would look like and whether they would have the proper resources to create the best environment for their students. It is about having that leadership at a local level as well. Enacting the legislation is one thing but having a spirit of co-operation on the ground from management authorities is also critical.

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