Josepha Madigan (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy. The provision of special classes throughout the country is another issue with which I have been extremely seized. I secured €2.6 billion in this budget to provide some of those places to children with additional needs. We have increased the budget by 10% from last year. In fact, the special education budget is 27% of the entire education budget, which is an acknowledgement of the significance of special education. That includes the setting up of special classes.

In total, the National Council for Special Education, NCSE, has sanctioned 392 special classes this year and 370 for 2023, of which 260 are in primary schools and 132 are in post-primary schools. That will create 2,352 special class places. There will be more than 2,900 special classes in Ireland by the end of next year, which is the highest level ever. This is absolutely necessary in order that children can thrive in that environment. In each special class, we have two special needs assistants, SNAs, and a special education teacher to look after the children.

Across the special education sector in its entirety, we now have more than 19,000 special education teachers and more than 20,000 SNAs. Therefore, we have 40,000 dedicated staff enthusiastically looking after children with additional needs. For the Deputy's information, we have 62 special classes in County Clare comprising 47 classes at primary level, including two new classes that opened in September, and 15 classes at post-primary level, including two new classes that also opened in September. We also have 188 children in two special schools in County Clare.

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