John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

First, I will address autism spectrum disorder units and the fact that many parents are trying to access a service that simply is not there. If the assessments were updated, the system of autism spectrum disorder units would be swamped. We need to address our future plan for that. I ask the Minister to give special consideration to children with special needs, even those children who are at home who cannot access supports because of the voluntary nature of an SNA or a teacher compared with teaching at home.

They are under extreme pressure and I ask the Minister to review that.

I also wish to raise the issue of parliamentary questions submitted to the Department of Education. If these questions were answered comprehensively, the Minister and Minister of State might not have had to face so many questions in the Chamber today. For example, I asked about St. Senan's National School in Kilmacow and a school in Ballyragget in the context of a change of status or an amalgamation. If the information was given to Deputies who ask questions, that would relieve the pressure on schools and reduce the number of parents who are approaching Deputies to ask them to pose the questions in the first place. I have asked a number of parliamentary questions about these schools but have not received a comprehensive response and I am deeply disappointed by that. I also asked a question relating to the CBS primary school in Kilkenny in the context of a change of status and, again, the question was not really dealt with at all. The school is trying to plan for the future in what is a growing part of the city. I ask the Minister to address those issues as they relate to those three schools.

On the western environs of Kilkenny city there is a real sense that development is going on but the eastern environs should not be left behind. The amalgamation of St. John's school in the eastern environs and the provision of more secondary school spaces are both absolutely necessary. I contacted the Department on these matters but there is no plan for the future in place. I would like the Department to assess the school places that are available in Kilkenny. I would also like to see a plan for the future being brought forward. In terms of the availability of school places now, as parents look towards September, a significant number are under huge pressure. This has been going on for the past number of years in Kilkenny city in particular. We do not have enough places and we cannot get answers from the Department or the schools. Parents are being fobbed off and it is simply not good enough. This is about communication and information. Can we please have the relevant information in response to parliamentary questions and can we have a comment on planning for the future?

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