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

As the Deputy knows, the right to education is enshrined in the Constitution. However, the location of the school is not enshrined as a right. That is not to say that I, as Minister of State with responsibility for special education, do not want children to be able to go to school in their locality. Unfortunately, it is not only children with additional needs but also other children who need to travel. I understand that Dromore National School is 10 km away, which is a bit of a distance. In my discussions with the National Council for Special Education, the difficulty I have - which I am sure the Deputy can understand - is that if those places are not filled, then it will be difficult to open a special class in the locality where these families want it. . I understand why they want this. We all have children and we wish for them to go to the school in their locality. We will continue to assess and monitor it and I will continue to engage with the Deputy to see what can be done in the future.

See this speech in context