Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)

To the Deputy's final point, my Department is engaging with the schools in the area to make sure that every child has a place. This has to happen in every area, particularly where there is a population increase. We are actively engaged in the area. If there is a need to work more closely with the Tusla education support service for schools, and in particular for students, that will happen. My understanding is that there are places available. It is about making sure children can get access to those places.

On special education supports, we have more SNAs than we have ever had before. There are 1,600 more this year. I appreciate that the need is increasing. As a result, we need to make sure that we continue to increase SNA supports and the number of special education teachers and provide places. The Minister of State, Deputy Michael Moynihan, and I are engaged in ongoing work in that regard.

Specifically in the context of reviews, there is an option for schools, if they are not happy with the allocations made by the NCSE recently, to apply to the review and appeal system. However, I accept the Deputy's point. We need to get to a position where allocations are made at a particular time in order to allow schools to have an opportunity, well before the summer recess, to make appeals in order that they will have the resources in place for September and will know exactly what they are getting. We also need to make sure that we have a system and a structure in place for the NCSE to be able to conduct reviews that are asked for and for schools to conduct reviews throughout the school year. This would mean that where SNAs are not needed in schools, and we know that is the case, they can be redeployed. We will have a new redeployment scheme coming into place next September. I appreciate that we need to make sure that we continue to increase the number of SNAs and special education teachers because demand is increasing.

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