James Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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I thank Deputy O'Sullivan for allowing me to go ahead. I am doing clinics in north Country Kildare later, so I need to progress matters. I thank the Minister of State for being here to take this Topical Issue. I know it is a topic of great interest to her, and she has given great attention to it in her Ministry, along with her colleague, the Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte. The Minister of State, Deputy Madigan, contacted me today to say that she is also working on it. In any event, the issue is the provision of autism spectrum disorder, ASD, education in my constituency of Kildare North. I have been contacted about it, and it is a growing trend. We know that school places are an issue in every constituency, not least a growing constituency like Kildare North, which is a commuter belt constituency, but what is happening is that children with additional or special needs who need an ASD place are being denied or refused a place in their first year of application. They go back around again and hope and pray that they will be accommodated the next year. In some cases, that is not possible the following September, and now we have children of six years of age and over who are not yet in school. They are being held back on the hope that something will come good, and it has not happened. There is always a difficulty in getting school places, but the situation around getting school places for children with special needs is even more chronic because there are only so many places to go around, and there is an increasing number of children who need to use them.

I have been directly approached on this issue by many parents. I will give a sample of some of the points that have been put to me. The national school in Sallins, unfortunately, has no ASD places at the moment. There are none at all, even if we were to try to make some available. The principal and staff are doing their very best, but they just do not have the places there, or the unit - full stop. The national school in Prosperous has three ASD classrooms, all of which are full. That is for a population of 2,500. Naas, the county town and the largest town in the constituency and the county, has a population of 22,000. I think that will be 30,000 when the census figures come out. In any event, it is the county town. I am told that there are three ASD classrooms in the national school in Naas. There may be one or two more than that, but it is certainly not anywhere near what is needed. We all know that early intervention is vital. We all know the earlier the intervention, the better the outcome. Parents are at their wits' end. They are doing their very best to provide for their children.

It has been put to me, and I think it is very reasonable, that the children's right to education is protected under the Constitution.

As one parent put to me, however, over the past two years, they have had to fight relentlessly for a child's basic constitutional rights to education, health, equality and integration. They really are up against it. One parent told me they are now driving a 100 km round trip every day because their child was accepted into an ASD place in Lacken, which is in County Wicklow. They are crossing a county boundary and travelling some distance. It is not one of these schools that is two miles over the border. It is a 100 km round trip each day to bring this child to an ASD unit in Lacken because the principal of that school was very generous and flexible and was able to accommodate the child. That is just one example. That child really should be attending a unit in Naas or Sallins, which are far closer to his home. Parents are, as always, being superheroes and doing everything they possibly can, including making 100 km round trips and prevailing upon people like me, the Minister of State and all of us in these Houses to make something happen. Without the basic provision, however, 2 plus 2 cannot equal 4. It is chronic. Children are being delayed and denied and they are ageing without the care. I do not want to come back to the parents of other four- five- or six-year-olds and explain to them again this September why they do not have a place. I am hoping the Minister of State has some good news for me.

Mary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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On behalf of the Minister of State with responsibility for special education and inclusion, I thank the Deputy for raising this issue and giving me the opportunity to outline how the Department of Education and National Council for Special Education, NCSE, continue to provide special educational placements for children who need them.

A priority for this Government is to ensure all children have an appropriate school placement and that the necessary supports are provided to our schools to cater for the needs of children with special educational needs. It is important to remember the vast majority of children with special educational needs are supported to attend mainstream classes with their peers.

To support children with more complex needs, special classes in mainstream schools and special schools are provided. This year, the Department will spend in excess of €2.6 billion, or over 27% of the Department’s budget, on providing additional teaching and care supports for children with special educational needs. For 2023, the Department has further increased the number of teaching and special needs assistant, SNA, posts in our schools. There will be an additional 686 teachers and a further 1,194 special needs assistants in our schools by the end of this calendar year.

For the first time ever, we will have more than 19,000 teachers working in the area of special education and more than 20,000 special needs assistants. Together, we will have almost 40,000 qualified and committed people in our schools who are focused wholly and exclusively on supporting children with special educational needs, which I know everybody will welcome. The children will undoubtedly benefit, as is right and proper, from the additional focus these resources will bring to their education.

The National Council for Special Education has responsibility for co-ordinating and advising on the education provision for children nationwide. Over the past three years, the Department and NCSE have introduced a number of strategic initiatives to plan for and provide sufficient mainstream, special class and special school places. These initiatives are bearing fruit, with more than 600 new special classes sanctioned at primary level, almost 300 new special classes sanctioned at post-primary level and five new special schools established over the past three years.

Just recently, on 12 April, the Minister, Deputy Foley, and Minister of State, Deputy Madigan, announced the establishment of two new special schools as part of a comprehensive update on enhanced education provision for students with special educational needs. These two new special schools will be established in Carrigtwohill in east Cork and Dublin 7 for the 2023-24 school year. Along with the two new special schools, 328 new special classes have been sanctioned by the National Council for Special Education, NCSE, for opening in the coming school year 2023-2024, with more to be confirmed in the coming weeks, 217 of which will be at primary level and 111 at post-primary level. Capacity will also be expanded in 11 other special schools around the country.

I will turn now to County Kildare because I am conscious there are many Kildare Deputies in the House at the moment, as well as the Ceann Comhairle. There are 105 special classes in County Kildare. Of these, 79 special classes are at primary level and 26 are at post-primary level. Of the 328 new special classes announced for the 2023-24 school year, seven are in County Kildare, with five at primary level and two at post-primary level. The Deputy referenced the issue of additional special classes in north Kildare specifically. I want to assure him that both the Department and the NCSE will continue to monitor and review the need for further new special classes over the coming months and years.

Of the 105 special classes in County Kildare, 60 are in the north Kildare areas of Celbridge, Clane, Enfield, Leixlip, Maynooth, Naas, Prosperous and Sallins, 41 of which are at primary level and 19 of which are at post-primary level. Of the seven new special classes announced for Kildare, one new special class is in Maynooth in north Kildare while the other six are in south Kildare. The NCSE will continue to review the need for any additional special classes in north Kildare for the coming school year.

James Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister of State for her reply and for those figures. I acknowledge her and the Government's commitment to this area. I worry about the figures, however. The Minister mentioned in her reply the special classes that are already in existence, namely, Clane, Enfield, Leixlip, Maynooth, Naas, Prosperous and Sallins. Certainly, Clane, Naas, Prosperous and Sallins are areas that have been brought to my attention as being insufficient. They may be there, but they are not there in sufficient capacity and accommodation because the parents of children who are being turned away come to my clinics and correspond with me on this.

I welcome the seven new classes. I do not think I am being parochial about this because I have been elected to represent north Kildare, but only one of the seven is going to north Kildare. By the mathematics, at the previous boundary review there were four and four. Therefore, they are of unequal measure in terms of north Kildare and south Kildare. One is getting six and one is getting one. There seems to be an imbalance there. I would, therefore, ask for extra classes.

The Minister of State mentioned that the Department is continuing to monitor and review the need for further special needs classes. I can assist with that. I can provide the information I have been given by parents. I can say today, as I have already said, that Naas, Clane, Sallins and Prosperous, at the very least, need additional spaces for ASD units. The need has been brought to my attention at primary level, but I know from my own experience when I was chair of the board at Naas Community College that additional places are needed at post-primary level as well. I would really stress upon the Department the need to look at that ahead of the next school year. This is not something that can be rolled along with a watching tracker kept on it over the next couple of years. This is an urgent situation where children of six years of age and their parents are looking at this coming September like a clock ticking down and wondering where they are going to go. I am aware of many such cases.

I would really stress upon the Minister of State to bring the message back to the Department to say that while I welcome the progress that has been made, unfortunately, it is not enough. I am dealing with real-life situations whereby children have no place to go this September in north Kildare in many ASD-type situations. I really ask the Department to take on board and engage with me on the issue ahead of this September.

Mary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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The Department and the NCSE are committed to ensuring all children can access an education suitable to their needs. The Department continues to engage with the NCSE intensely with regard to the forward planning for new special classes for the next school year.

As demand for new special classes at post-primary level is expected to increase significantly over the next few years due to increasing demographics and increasing prevalence rates, the Department and the NCSE are engaging with post-primary stakeholders regarding the provision of special classes. In October of last year, the Department wrote to all post-primary schools to advise them of the need to begin planning to provide additional special classes. That is all post-primary schools. Nobody is going to say we are not going to have a special educational needs class. That ship has sailed at this stage. Every child is entitled to an education in his or her school.

Essentially, all post-primary schools can expect to open special classes over the next three to five years. This will ensure children can access a special class in their local post-primary school rather than having to travel a significant distance to another school. At local level, the NCSE is continuing to engage with schools regarding the establishment of additional special classes and there will be another announcement in the next few weeks. It is hoped that will be more favourable to the Deputy with regard to north Kildare. I will bring the Deputy's concerns back to the Minister.

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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I compliment the Deputies and public representatives in south Kildare on the success they are achieving in terms of their special needs children. I want to make one point in absolute support of what Deputy Lawless said. It is a phenomenon in County Kildare that young children are being sent by special educational needs officers, SENOs, all over the county well outside their catchment areas. It is patently ridiculous that a child with a special educational need cannot go with his or her brothers and sisters to his or her local school but instead has to travel substantial distances. The Minister of State's response is, therefore, welcome but we need to see that happen sooner rather than later.

Mary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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In fairness, the fact that all schools will have to provide this class is really welcome by everyone.

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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Boards of management have to step up to the mark on this as well.

Mary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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Absolutely.

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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Anyway, well done to Deputy Lawless for raising that matter.