Cathal Crowe (Clare, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I will follow the lead shown by other members. I will be fast and put a few questions. I hope the Minister can respond to all of them at the end.

In Ennis in recent weeks we have had an immense problem whereby an inordinate number of students did not get a secondary school. They got no offer. We have five secondary schools with several patron bodies but the problem is the schools enrol individually. There is no cross-communication between the schools. This means some children ended up being offered four first place choices but others who may have sat beside them in the classroom have no school. I believe we need to look at a common application system in Ennis and I call on the Minister to respond briefly to that.

Yesterday, a primary school principal told me he called the dedicated Department of Education support line for principals relating to Covid-19 at 4.40 p.m. His teaching day was done. He is unable to be in and out all day trying to telephone the line. When he telephoned at 4.40 p.m. the line was closed. I believe there needs to be some flexibility and leeway in that regard.

The Minister of State at the Department of Education, Deputy Madigan, might be able to respond to my question on the unmet needs of children. I have been speaking on this a good deal at the Joint Committee on Children, Disability, Equality and Integration recently. We have all spoken about teachers and special needs assistants going online. Joe Wicks has gone online on YouTube to show how we can exercise and stay fit during Covid-19. However, many CAMHS speech and language therapists and HSE staff have not. I know this does not come directly under the Department of Education but they support children with special educational needs. The services have not been offered online extensively. They need to be offered during this lockdown and any other lockdown although I hope another one will not materialise. The needs of children must be met.

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