Joe Carey (Clare, Fine Gael)
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64. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will provide an update on the number of special class places that have been sanctioned in 2022; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [49869/22]

Joe Carey (Clare, Fine Gael)
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Will the Minister of State provide an update on the number of special class places that have been sanctioned for the 2022-23 school year?

Josepha Madigan (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Deputy. The provision of special classes throughout the country is another issue with which I have been extremely seized. I secured €2.6 billion in this budget to provide some of those places to children with additional needs. We have increased the budget by 10% from last year. In fact, the special education budget is 27% of the entire education budget, which is an acknowledgement of the significance of special education. That includes the setting up of special classes.

In total, the National Council for Special Education, NCSE, has sanctioned 392 special classes this year and 370 for 2023, of which 260 are in primary schools and 132 are in post-primary schools. That will create 2,352 special class places. There will be more than 2,900 special classes in Ireland by the end of next year, which is the highest level ever. This is absolutely necessary in order that children can thrive in that environment. In each special class, we have two special needs assistants, SNAs, and a special education teacher to look after the children.

Across the special education sector in its entirety, we now have more than 19,000 special education teachers and more than 20,000 SNAs. Therefore, we have 40,000 dedicated staff enthusiastically looking after children with additional needs. For the Deputy's information, we have 62 special classes in County Clare comprising 47 classes at primary level, including two new classes that opened in September, and 15 classes at post-primary level, including two new classes that also opened in September. We also have 188 children in two special schools in County Clare.

Joe Carey (Clare, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Minister of State for that response. Special classes play a significant role in the development of children with special education needs. I acknowledge the Minister of State's really welcome work in securing €2.6 billion in the recent budget, which is the biggest budget in the history of the State for special education. The priority of the Government and the Minister of State has been to ensure that every child in the country has access to a school place.

I had the pleasure of working with the Minister of State on the issue of Doonbeg National School together with the principal, Mr. Neil Crowley. After an in-depth review of the school's needs, a special class was sanctioned, which I had the honour of opening. I can see on the ground the impact that is having on the school community. It is really welcome. Could the Minister of State perhaps expand on future plans to expand it further?

Josepha Madigan (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Deputy for his acknowledgement of Doonbeg National School. I commend his and Mr. Crowley's efforts to secure a sanction from the NCSE for the opening of a special class. It is wonderful to hear that the school has had a positive experience. There is not a school I have visited with a special class that has not had a positive experience. Some of them go on to open two or three special classes.

One of the things we are doing, which is pertinent to the Deputy's question around forward planning, is that we now have a proper forecasting model whereby the Department and the NCSE can see data in real time. One thing I want to stress this evening is the extra €13 million I secured for the NCSE. Its CEO, Mr. John Carney, is doing incredible work, particularly on operational issues. He will now be in a position to hire 161 new staff who, through the special educational needs organisers, are the people who liaise with the school community about opening special classes. This will do an incredible amount to assist schools. Again, it is not just about opening the classes but also about adequately resourcing them.

Joe Carey (Clare, Fine Gael)
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I want to pay credit to the Minister of State for her intervention in bringing forward emergency legislation during the year to strengthen section 37A. She must be commended for that whole process. Every school community should be encouraged to open a special class. I have seen first-hand the positive impact it has.

I look forward to welcoming the Minister of State to County Clare in the next number of weeks when she will visit Scoil na Mainistreach in Quin to perform an official opening of its two new autism spectrum disorder, ASD, classrooms. This is an area to which the Minister of State has given real attention. I look forward to school communities right across the country benefitting from her work in this area.

Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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I will call Deputy Ó Murchú before the Minister of State comes back in.

Ruairi Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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The Minister of State recently visited Coláiste Chú Chulainn in Dundalk and the two ASD classes there. Many parents have come to me and their issue is ensuring that their kid coming from primary school has a space in an ASD unit, if that is what is suitable, in secondary school. We have insufficient places or classes. At the Joint Committee on Autism a number of stakeholders recently stated that they believe one the solutions is that the Education (Admission to Schools) Act 2018 would be altered from a point of view of allowing special education kids a 24-month run-in. That would allow schools to do preparatory work and ensure resourcing was in place and ready for the kids. Then if it was the case that a school was a bit slow in putting an ASD class in operation, section 37A could be put into action.

Alan Dillon (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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I welcome the increased funding for the NCSE and our SENOs. That is an important area that needed to be strengthened, especially the engagement with principals and educators in both primary and secondary schools. How swiftly will these 160 additional staff posts be advertised and is there a breakdown of the allocation per county as a result of this €13 million investment in the NCSE?

Josepha Madigan (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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I will answer Deputy Dillon's question first. Mr. John Kearney is the CEO of the NCSE. The budget provided €13 million for the NCSE to hire this staff. I know Mr. Kearney is actively pursuing that as quickly as possible because he badly needs the staff in order to make sure we can assist parents and families that have a child with an additional need who is looking for a special class. I know he will be doing that in early course.

I note Deputy Ó Murchú's remarks on Coláiste Chú Chulainn. I met the principal, Thomas Sharkey, there with Senator McGahon. They are to be commended for the incredible work they do in that school and it is a prime example of what inclusivity is in the school environment in terms of providing special classes.

I would be delighted to visit Scoil na Mainistreach in Quin, County Clare, and to open those special classes. I thank all the school community that open special classes. It is of huge significance to children with additional needs.