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

I thank the Deputy for raising this issue, which is of significant importance to me as Minister of State with responsibility for special education. Enabling students with additional needs to find appropriate placements in the education system is an absolute priority for me and for the Government. When talking about children with addition needs, it is important to stress that 97% of them attend mainstream classes, with the remainder attending special classes or special schools.

The Deputy asked specifically about the provision of ASD classes. Before addressing the situation in County Tipperary, I will refer to the issue more generally. We have a budget of €2.6 billion this year solely dedicated to special education. This accounts for almost 27% of the entire education budget, which is up 10% on last year. The budget also made provision for the appointment of 686 extra special education teachers and 1,194 additional special needs assistants, SNAs. This means we now have 19,000 special education teachers and 20,000 SNAs. That amounts to 40,000 qualified and committed staff who are wholly and exclusively dedicated to supporting children with additional needs. This resourcing aspect is the first point to make. There is not and should not be an issue with resourcing and funding special classes. We have opened 2,537 special classes this year, comprising 1,798 at primary level and 739 at post-primary level. In addition, the NCSE has sanctioned 386 new special classes for this year. There is a significant increase in provision, which is clear when we recall that the total provision in 2011 was only 548.

Regarding ASD classes, it is important to put the issue in context. There was a prevalence rate of 1.55% in respect of the provision of classes. That has now increased to 3.11%, which means it has grown exponentially in the past few years. There must be provision for children with additional needs, particularly those with autism, which is the substance of the Deputy's question. In County Tipperary, there are 106 special classes, of which 71 are at primary level and 35 at post-primary level. Over the past three years, we have opened 21 new special classes in the county at primary level and 11 at post-primary level. The Deputy is correct that parents need some succour and comfort in knowing when their child will be eligible for a special class and when he or she has secured an appropriate placement in such a class.

We expect the NCSE will confirm where the new special classes at primary and post-primary level, including in County Tipperary, will be sanctioned over the coming weeks. This is in keeping with timelines in previous years. The issue the Deputy raised is timely in that we expect those decisions to be made in the coming weeks, at which point parents will be made aware of whether and where their children will get a place. If the Deputy is aware of a child who has not secured an appropriate placement, he can contact me directly on the matter.

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