Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)

To answer the Deputy's previous question, and rolling into the next one, the Department looks at, reviews and assesses the level of need and that includes the early intervention classes. The new timeline and the new structure we have put in place will look not just at the demand for a special class place or special school place but also at the potential demand for the early intervention classes. The 1 October deadline has passed and the Minister of State, Deputy Moynihan, and I are working with the NCSE every week and are meeting on a regular basis to look at the overall demand that is there. We are not going to lock anybody out and it is really important to say that. We have a deadline there for a very clear reason, which is to make sure we and, in particular, the NCSE are able to plan ahead but of course we want to work with parents. While we are still working with and managing the data, we are getting a much clearer picture of what the demand is. Last year there was not a requirement for children to have presented to the NCSE by a certain date, which was in February, to get access to a class but it is now a requirement. Children who would earlier on in the year have been unknown to the NCSE are now known, and so we are getting a much clearer picture of what the demand and need is. That will include the overall demand and need for the early intervention classes.

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