Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Senator for raising this issue and giving me the opportunity to reassure the House that the Department of Education is committed to ensuring that children can access an education suitable to their needs. Planning is actively under way to ensure that children without a placement for next year are provided with a suitable placement. The NCSE is leading the work in this regard.

This year, the Department of Education will invest in excess of €2 billion, or 25% of the Department's budget, in the area of special educational needs. As a result, the numbers of special education teachers, special needs assistants and special class and school places are at unprecedented levels. Since 2011, the number of special classes in mainstream schools has increased from 548 to the current total of 2,545 for the 2022-23 school year.

I reassure the Senator that the Department will continue to support the NCSE and schools through the provision of the necessary funding and capital investment to ensure all children are successful in accessing education. In this regard, I assure the Senator that the application for capital funding for Golden National School will be assessed when the NCSE has confirmed to the Department the special needs requirements for this area. The school authorities will then be notified of the decision directly.