Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

No child should be left without school place next September. It is a fundamental right of every child to have access to primary school education, in particular, and secondary education. The Department of Education is working proactively with the National Council for Special Education on the adequacy of school places and having a sufficiency of school places. We were assured of this as recently as Tuesday at Cabinet. I do not have the specific details of the children referenced by the Deputy. Over the past three years since I was Taoiseach I have given this my personal attention. We have increased the number of special classes and the number of special schools and places. I ask the Deputy to send the details to us and to the Department of Education and we will follow them up proactively. The National Council for Special Education is working on given areas with the SENOs to make sure there is a sufficiency of school places and to provide additional places where children need them.

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