Pádraig O'Sullivan (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I would like to raise the issue of special school places, not just in County Cork but across the country. The Irish Independent earlier this month published a report where it was estimated that hundreds of children are potentially facing a lack of school places this September. I say this being fully cognisant of the fact that in the term of this Government, we have delivered seven new special schools and 1,300 special classes have been sanctioned up to now. Unfortunately, in the report published by the Irish Independent, several principals described on the public record the worst levels of oversubscription in school places that they have seen to date. In Mayfield, in my constituency, St. Killian's school had one or two places available but there have been 25 applications. The list goes on. I ask that the Tánaiste give this matter his utmost attention and-----

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