Niamh Smyth (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I congratulate the Minister on his elevation as leader of the Green Party. Today I raise the urgent matter of the need for a special education school for the pupils and students of County Monaghan. I know my constituency colleague, Deputy Matt Carthy, will agree with me on this. I understand a review is under way at the moment but the parents cannot wait any longer. The chief executive of the National Council for Special Education, NCSE, John Kearney, is working with the Minister, Deputy Foley, on that. I thank the Minister, Deputy Foley, for meeting with the parents on a number of occasions. However, at this time there is no special education school in County Monaghan. The Holy Family school, which is a state-of-the-art facility in County Cavan, is expected to deal with both counties and have the capacity for both counties and currently it does not. Students may be in ASD units in mainstream school. It is completely inappropriate and unsuitable with the result that children are not attending, they are on reduced hours and sometimes being schooled from home. I ask the Minister please to expedite that as quickly as possible.

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