Joan Collins (Dublin South Central, Independents 4 Change) | Oireachtas source

If the Minister of State would reply, it would be good.

First, I welcome that there is a dedicated Minister of State and I wish Deputy Madigan well. The ball is very much in the Minister of State's court. It is a big task to take on. It is an area where so many families and children have been let down by the State to such an extent that the children had to go to the courts to try to get places in schools. Again, I wish the Minister of State well and vow to work constructively with her.

How many extra SNAs have been recruited in schools this year compared to the 2019-2020 school year? Does every child who has been assessed for an SNA have one and is there is no crossover of shared SNAs to different children? That is important, as it did not come through in the Minister of State's speech. Will the Minister of State clarify whether the four schools in Dublin 12 highlighted in the National Council for Special Education, NCSE, report have opened up those classes? Perhaps the Minister could reply to those three questions and I could come back in again.

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