Pádraig O'Sullivan (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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61. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will engage with a school (details supplied) regarding the urgent need for an ASD unit; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16186/24]

Pádraig O'Sullivan (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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What has been the extent of the Minister of State's engagement with Scoil Eoin in Ballincollig regarding the urgent need for an ASD unit and will she make a statement on the matter?

Hildegarde Naughton (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Deputy for the question. Enabling children with special educational needs to receive an education is a priority for this Government. It is also a key priority for my Department and for the National Council for Special Education, NCSE. My Department engages intensely with the NCSE on the forward planning of new special classes and additional special school places. This forward planning work is well under way ahead of the 2024-2025 school year. This work involves a detailed review of statistical data in respect of forecasting demand for special class places, an analysis of available school accommodation, consideration of improved data-sharing arrangements, and a particular focus on the provision of special classes at post-primary level.

Along with two new special schools opening this school year, 391 new special classes - 255 at primary level and 136 at post-primary level - have been sanctioned by the NCSE. Of those, 76 are in Cork, 52 at primary level and 24 at post-primary level. This brings to 496 the number of special classes in County Cork, comprising 351 at primary level and 145 at post-primary level.

In respect of the school referred to by the Deputy, I confirm that my Department received an application in 2021 under the additional schools accommodation scheme. The application was for funding for the provision of three special education classrooms. The Department's school building technical team carried out an in-depth review of the school site in 2021. The review confirmed that the school and the site are at maximum capacity and that it would not be possible to provide the required accommodation on site unless vast amounts of existing accommodation were to be demolished and replaced with two-storey accommodation. At that time, considering all the relevant impediments to delivering the brief of accommodation and the site constraints, the Department was not in a position to provide funding for the significant demolition of the school building. In light of this, officials in my Department contacted the NCSE to advise it of same and to establish the special classes in other schools in the area.

In January 2024, the NCSE confirmed the need for special classes in the area. I will come back in again and add to my reply.

Pádraig O'Sullivan (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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I acknowledge the presence of Deputy Aindrias Moynihan to my left. He has worked on this issue for a number of years. The Minister of State's response is no different from the previous response that was given on 9 April in respect of this school. Traditionally in Ballincollig, ASD classes have been outsourced to villages, such as Ovens, Berrings, Farran and other surrounding rural county towns. I have spoken in the past about Ballincollig in particular and referenced the deficit in special needs classes in the area to serve the population of the town and the greater region, which amounts to approximately 20,000 people.

Many people here are slow to acknowledge the fact there has been a considerable increase in the number of special needs assistants, special education teachers and ASD classes in general. I would like to put that on the record. At the same time, however, this project is a matter of urgency. The technical team to which the Minister of State referred in her response met the principal on site in 2021 and, three years on, we are no further in progressing that project.

Hildegarde Naughton (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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As the Deputy stated, in January this year, the NCSE confirmed the need for special classes in that area. The NCSE and the Department are working to identify suitable locations for those classes to ensure the children who require access to this provision can avail of it as soon as possible.

Separately, the board of management of the school subsequently submitted a new engineer's condition report to the Department in support of the proposal to knock and rebuild a portion of the school building. My Department's technical team will review the contents of the report and officials from my Department will consult the school authority on completion of the review.

As the Deputy knows, budget 2024 provided funding for up to a further 400 special classes. The NCSE has a significant number of new classes sanctioned ahead of the coming school year, and it is expected that further classes will be confirmed in the coming weeks. Parents will be notified as special class placements become available and are sanctioned for the school year.

As I said, the Department's technical team will review the contents of that report and consult the school authority.

Pádraig O'Sullivan (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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I welcome that. I need to stress again, as Deputy Moynihan will, the urgency around the technical team submitting that report. As the Minister of State knows, those things take time and often require planning permission. It is not just a case of landing a modular unit or building. There are considerable planning requirements from the school's point of view as it arranges resources and so on. This project has been ongoing for a number of years and I reiterate the urgency around the technical team submitting that report as soon as possible.

I also reiterate that Ballincollig, which is a great town or suburb of the city, is playing catch-up in respect of the number of special needs classes it is providing to its population. It is imperative the classroom is given the utmost priority. The officials visited as long ago as 2021 and acknowledged on site the difficulties that exist. It is about time the parents in the area were given the reassurance that their children will be accommodated in the near future.

Aindrias Moynihan (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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There is considerable need for ASD services in Ballincollig schools, and Scoil Eoin has been keen to provide classes for people in their own community so they do not have to travel outside to places such as Farran, Berrings and elsewhere. Finding a location to fit these classes on the site has been challenging, and the option of replacing an existing building, the section beside Station Road, needs to be seriously considered. There is a real win-win opportunity because there are issues in that part of the building. Perhaps the Minister of State could clarify if the costings have taken into consideration the requirements of the building as it stands and the work that might be needed to maintain it. That would play a significant part in influencing the decision.

You cannot leave the building as it is because there is work needed on it.

Also, has the Minister looked at other options, and has there been serious consideration given to doing that work and going up an extra storey on that section of building beside Station Road? It really is an option to be considered.

Hildegarde Naughton (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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I thank both Deputies. The NCSE has confirmed the need for special classes in the area, and it is working with Department to identify suitable locations. There are 14 special classes in Ballincollig already. I very much welcome and think it is really positive that the schools want to provide these services for children in the area. We are open to more coming into it, and how that is rolled out is what is being considered at the moment between the Department and the NCSE. They will be reporting back to or consulting with the school when that review is completed.

I want to add that my colleague, the Minister, Deputy Foley, announced plans last week for the roll-out of the next phase of investment in the school capital building programme. This additional funding of almost €800 million will support more than 90 building projects in 2024 and 2025, including 138 additional rooms for children with special educational needs.