Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I wish to flag two issues. One is a general issue. Scoil Eoin in Ballincollig has been trying to secure special classes for children with autism since 2013. That is over ten years ago. The principal, staff and board of management have done all they can for the Department of Education to secure funding to provide these classes but they have been blocked at every opportunity. Ballincollig is a town of about 20,000 people. The lack of ASD classes in Ballincollig means that children are being forced to travel all over the city and county just to get a decent education. The school community wants to know that the Minister for Education will take the issue seriously and confirm a date when she will meet the school and, crucially, if the required funding will be delivered. It is extraordinary, at a time when some schools are dragging their feet, that a school campaigning so hard to have special classes is being held back. That needs to be rectified.

To give context, I am aware of a child in the Ballincollig area, Senan, who has ASD and a mild intellectual disability. He was diagnosed at age four. They have gone through an absolute siege of issues over the years. The diagnosis was received in 2019 and paperwork was sent to SENO. They did not hear back from that SENO about the report. They struggled to find a place and ended up being offered a place 45 miles away in Macroom but were grateful to receive an offer. That means this child's journey starts at 7.30 a.m. and he does not get home until 3.30 p.m. It is a great school but the challenge now is what happens next. That is the challenge for many parents. Their thoughts are turning to him turning 12 in a year or two and going to secondary school. As there are no ASD units in Ballincollig, the school he is in has links to secondary schools in County Kerry, which would be a 90-minute journey each way for him. The issues due to the lack of places for special classes and special schools remain enormous. There are so many rejection letters being received by people, so many on waiting lists and such an uncertain future. It should not be like that for so many families. Those children, most of all, need an orderly transition and a plan as to how they are going to progress. They are the children least likely to have that certainty.

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