Liam Quaide (Cork East, Social Democrats)

I have been working with a parents' campaign group in Youghal in recent months, which is seeking the establishment of a new secondary level special education school in east Cork for children whose needs cannot be met by the autism hub in the local secondary school.

As we know, parents can be left in a deeply unsettling state of uncertainty in the lead-up to a decision on their school placement application. Many families in east Cork are facing the very grim prospect of commuting to Dungarvan, into Cork city or even Waterford city for their child's educational needs.

This means families transporting their child very long distances on a daily basis for their basic schooling, dislocating that child, who is already contending with so many challenges by virtue of their disability, from their community. This is entirely at odds with their interests and their rights, and is heaping chronic stress upon so many other challenges. It is also at odds with the UNCRPD.

The parents' group in Youghal had an encouraging engagement with the Minister of State, Deputy Michael Moynihan, on 28 March. As a group, they could not be more constructive in their dealings with all public representatives and other stakeholders. They identified a possible site for a new school in Youghal. The need for such a school is very obvious and urgent. They also proposed an interim arrangement involving prefabricated buildings for the coming term while plans for a new school are being developed and progressed. The response from the Minister of State outlined the commitment of the Government to special education provision. He provided general investment figures to back that up, but there was no engagement with any of the detail of the proposals that the parents' group had discussed with him at the meeting in March, and had submitted to the Department.

These parents are facing another summer of uncertainty. Some are looking ahead to several years down the line before their child is making that very challenging transition to secondary school. Some of the families feel that their children's needs are being met at primary level in their communities at the moment, but what lies ahead is very unsettling for them and, as we know, these years pass quickly. I ask the Minister of State to re-engage with that group.

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