Hildegarde Naughton (Galway West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

As the Deputy stated, in January this year, the NCSE confirmed the need for special classes in that area. The NCSE and the Department are working to identify suitable locations for those classes to ensure the children who require access to this provision can avail of it as soon as possible.

Separately, the board of management of the school subsequently submitted a new engineer's condition report to the Department in support of the proposal to knock and rebuild a portion of the school building. My Department's technical team will review the contents of the report and officials from my Department will consult the school authority on completion of the review.

As the Deputy knows, budget 2024 provided funding for up to a further 400 special classes. The NCSE has a significant number of new classes sanctioned ahead of the coming school year, and it is expected that further classes will be confirmed in the coming weeks. Parents will be notified as special class placements become available and are sanctioned for the school year.

As I said, the Department's technical team will review the contents of that report and consult the school authority.

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