Chris Andrews (Dublin Bay South, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

This time has been unbelievably challenging for children with additional needs and their parents. More than 20,000 children with additional needs in mainstream classes were promised a return on 21 January. The Minister wrote to school principals on 11 January to say the return of those children to school would happen but it did not. Those children were assured priority all along and have been completely forgotten about. The provision offered for students with additional needs is for special needs assistants to come into their houses in evenings and at weekends. It is understandable that very few students, if any, will want that.

Parents who have children with additional needs have contacted me and want to know why their children were suddenly dropped as a priority from the return to school policy. They were promised priority. It is not acceptable to wait until the middle of April, nor is it acceptable that we leave our children with additional needs until last. We should be putting our children with additional needs first. We are talking about a return to school but it is important to remember that many children, on returning to school, will be sent on a bus and driven past the schools of their brothers or sisters.

As we know, there has been a section 37A review of ASD autism classes in the south Dublin area. Many parents and multiple advocacy groups like Involve Autism and Autism Equality Dublin Bay have expressed their great disappointment at both the approach and the outcome. At the end of the process, there are approximately 140 ASD special classes in Dublin 24, which is an increase of approximately 60 places on the position prior to the commencement of the process. In Dublin 6, there were zero classes and that continues to be the case. Likewise, nothing has been provided for early intervention or secondary level. Parents who experienced exclusion and discrimination are being further excluded. As part of the process of engaging with schools with a view to opening new autism classes, the National Council for Special Education, NCSE, openly admits that the Department of Education does not have an inventory of school accommodation. This is damning.

The approach taken by the NCSE and the Department to the 37A process was disappointing to say the least. They did not engage with schools and the schools were only inspected after the mandate. They disregarded where the lack of places was, which will mean more children leaving their communities on buses and in taxis. Apart from the ethical issues, in south Dublin alone, more than €63,000 is spent every single day just transporting children around south Dublin in buses and taxis. It is absolutely bonkers to be spending that sort of money on children with additional needs to bus them out of their communities. This approach of anywhere will do for children with autism and additional needs must stop. The Minister must apply the section 37A process to these areas again, specifically Dublin 6 and Dublin 6W, which were left untouched by the process and where there are more than 6,000 primary school children. I appreciate the Minister may say they are still in a legislative process, but as none of the schools in these areas are in the process, she should be able to act and finally stand up for children with additional needs. Will the Minister start a new section 37A process for areas in south Dublin, in particular Dublin 6 and Dublin 6W, which have been left untouched by the previous section 37A process?

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