Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)

As I said, there is a plan. In the past five years, we provided 11 new special schools and five more are set for 2025-26.

On the High Court decision some years ago in respect of preliminary assessments or the then system organised by the HSE, the experts have come back to the Government and stated that it has compounded the delay and backlog relating to assessments of need. The Government is looking at legislative options to create a better screening programme to make sure there is ongoing assessment to deal with that backlog. That work is under way. Yesterday, the Cabinet sub-committee on disability took decisions in that respect. The Minister, Deputy Foley, and the Minister of State, Deputy Naughton, in the Department of children made contributions at that meeting. Last year, the previous Government approved the recruitment of 40-odd therapists to work with the National Council for Special Education, NCSE, in an advisory capacity for schools. There has been strong and very successful recruitment process, which is interesting. The next phase will be a national in-school therapy scheme provided by the NCSE on behalf of schools, initially for special schools, under which therapists will be recruited.

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