Mark Ward (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I welcome this emergency legislation to shorten the notice period for schools being instructed to accommodate pupils with special educational needs. As my colleague Deputy Ó Laoghaire said, Sinn Féin has been calling for this for many weeks. While it will not solve every issue, it will be an important step forward. I commend the campaign by parents of children with special educational needs who have been tireless in their efforts to ensure their children's educational needs are met. I have met representative groups such as Families Unite for Services and Support, FUSS, and the Clondalkin Autism Parents Support Network in my area. I have stood with them on protests as they demand that their children's basic needs are met. These parents have to fight for services just so their children can reach their full developmental milestones. It is energy consuming enough to have a child with additional needs without having to go out and fight for what really should be a right.

We do not treat all the children of this island as equal. That is an abject failure of the flip-flopping governments of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael since the inception of the State. The State has a dark history of how we treat our most vulnerable. Unless we get it right for children with disabilities now, this dark history will be a dark future. This must not happen and Sinn Féin in government will ensure it does not happen. Until that happens, we will work with the Government in a practical way to ensure these solutions are delivered urgently for the children affected.

Everything possible should be done and must be done to ensure families get action as soon as possible. I am concerned at the Government's chaotic approach to this issue which is causing unnecessary stress for families who are simply trying to secure appropriate education for their children as is their human right. We have all heard the stories of parents trying to get special educational places for their children with some parents contacting more than 20 schools, desperate for a place. With each attempt, that child is moving further away from his or her community. Children with additional needs must be part of our school community not apart from our school community.

A recent report published by the Ombudsman for Children stated that the Department of Education is failing children with special educational needs particularly in black spots such as Dublin and Cork regarding the provision of suitable school places. I have said this numerous times but I will say it again. My area of Dublin Mid-West currently has 17 primary schools with 29 ASD classes. They accommodate 174 primary schoolchildren with ASD in ASD classes. However, the area has five secondary schools which accommodate 45 children. It is common sense to me that if 174 children with special educational needs are currently in primary school, we will need much more than 45 secondary school places. Unfortunately, common sense is not very common when it comes to this Government. Where was the forward planning?

Any more delays in providing these places are unnecessary and cannot continue. The Government must show the urgency needed to deliver solutions now. We will work with it to ensure this happens. I again met the campaign groups this week. I commend them on the pressure they have put on the Government to move things forward. This Bill would not have been discussed today were it not for them and their tireless campaign. While this Bill is not a panacea for all the problems children with disabilities have, it is a welcome step forward. As he outlined, my colleague Deputy Ó Laoghaire has tabled a number of amendments to improve the Bill and I hope the Government will take them on board. I commend families who have been working tirelessly to ensure fair treatment for their children.

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