Jonathan O'Brien (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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127. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she is aware that parents in County Cork are finding it difficult to access mainstream secondary school places for their children with autism, in view of the unavailability of resources at a school (details supplied) in County Cork; and if she will set out her plans to rectify the lack of mainstream places for children with autism as a matter of urgency. [33939/15]

Jonathan O'Brien (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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Is the Minister aware of the issues relating to access to mainstream education for pupils with autism in Cork city - as opposed to County Cork, as stated in the question?

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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I thank Deputy O'Brien for his question. The National Council for Special Education, through its network of local special educational needs organisers, is responsible for processing applications from primary and post-primary schools for special educational needs supports, including the establishment of special classes in various geographical areas as required. The NCSE operates within my Department's criteria in allocating such support.

The NCSE has advised that it is aware of a growing need for post-primary provision for pupils with special educational needs in Cork and is actively liaising with schools in the area. I have been advised that the NCSE has not been informed by the schools in question of all of the issues raised by the Deputy. Clearly, if a school has concerns about the availability of supports for children with autism, the matter should be raised with the NCSE in the first instance. I have asked the NCSE to establish the position on the matter for me and to provide an update for the Deputy accordingly.

Jonathan O'Brien (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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I thank the Minister for not naming the school, although I gave her the information - that would be unfair. I have raised the matter because I was talking to the parents of a young child who will go to secondary school next year.

The primary school he attends offers excellent services, but the secondary school they hope to enrol him in has, unfortunately, told them that it will not be able to take him, not because it cannot provide the resource hours but because it does not have a base room for children with autism. The school has a great reputation for dealing with children with autism, but because of a lack of resources, a growing population and the demand for places in post-primary mainstream schools for children with special educational needs, particularly autism, the need for base rooms in Cork is growing. If a school does not have room where pupils can have a timeout, it is reluctant to take such students. That is the current situation. Resource hours are not the issue; rather, the lack of rooms is preventing schools from taking the number of students they would like to take.

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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It is useful to have that information because I will not name the school. However, the information I have is that the NCSE is not aware of issues relating to the availability of a home room or resource hours in the school. We need to let it know that that appears to be the issue. There are now 625 special classes in mainstream schools nationwide for children with autism, 95 of which are for early intervention, 378 of which are in primary schools and 152 of which are in post-primary schools. There are 14 post-primary classes in Cork city, two of which opened this year. The Deputy has reported difficulties with a particular school. We need to advise the NCSE of the issue and it is to be hoped it can be resolved.

Jonathan O'Brien (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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The information I have concerns schools within the city boundaries. There are only four places available for children with autism. This does not involve the allocation of resource hours, because I recognise that the Department will provide them where they are needed. As the Minister knows, for students with autism, the availability of a timeout, home room or base room - whatever way it is described - can be critical to whether a student can enrol in a school. It is my understanding that only four spaces are available in one school for those students who need them. The other two schools that provide such rooms can no longer enrol students because they have reached their quota and no longer have spaces available.

I refer to demographic changes, which were discussed earlier. It is difficult to try to identify the increased need for such rooms because we do not know how many students will have special educational needs in five years' time. Does the capital programme have a separate budget that has identified a need for resource or home rooms in particular schools? Will they be provided or will it be a case of everyone fighting for the same pot?

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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My information is that the other two schools that have autism units are full. With regard to the capital programme, as far as I know it does not contain a specific category of expenditure for the rooms to which the Deputy referred. Such rooms would be included in the general allocation. However, the intention is that that should not be an obstacle. Where autism units or special classes attached to schools are required, they should be provided. Generally, the Department actively seeks out schools that will take an autism unit and assist them in whatever way it can. It should not be an obstacle and perhaps we need to clarify that that is the problem in the school to which the Deputy referred.