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

I thank the Deputy for his question. He has indeed raised this matter with me previously. I have spoken to Mr. John Kearney of the National Council for Special Education and officials in my Department about this school. As the Deputy said, it is an excellent school. Before I speak about it, though, I have been in my role as Minister of State with responsibility for special education for three years and have been in a ministerial role for three years today. Three of those years I have spent working on special education. Since taking this role – since it was created for me – there has been an increase of 78% in special classes. We have created 1,300 special class places over the past four years. In 2011, we had 548 special classes. We now have 2,915, which is almost 3,000. A considerable amount of work has been done in this area. This year alone, we have opened 384 special classes. Of those, 17 are in Donegal – ten at primary level and seven at post-primary level. Overall, we have opened 251 special classes at primary level and 133 at post-primary level.

Regarding St. Eunan’s National School, which the Deputy asked me about specifically, it is important to stress that, in my role as Minister of State with responsibility for special education, I do not want a school that is magnanimous enough to want to open a special class in circumstances where there is a need for one only to be unable to do so. Having spoken to the National Council for Special Education and officials, if there are special class places available in the vicinity, the school will not be in a position to open a special class. This is not a “No”, but a “Not yet”. This situation, particularly as it relates to St. Eunan’s National School, is being monitored constantly. I understand that there is a school nearby in Killygordon, Dromore where five special class places are available.

It is the view of the National Council for Special Education that until those places are filled there will not be demand for a special class in another school. As I say, that is subject to change. It is a constantly evolving situation. If the Deputy were to come to me and say that he knew of children in the area who desperately needed a place in a special class in St. Eunan's National School, I could work on that.

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