Thomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The Department continues to look for strategic locations for special schools provision. That is happening in County Monaghan as well. We are also working with parents, as is the Senator, schools, patron bodies and stakeholders in Monaghan to provide sufficient specialist places for children with special educational needs. As I said, there is a strategic review under way and four special classes will be provided in all new post-primary schools. There will also be other large-scale projects. The Department will not build large-scale projects for schools if there are no special classes in them so that is something schools should bear in mind. Schools have received correspondence from the Department this year and in October last year, the Department wrote to all post-primary schools noting the need to plan for additional classes. It would be just as well for schools to respond to that as soon as they can. If certain schools are unwilling to do so, that will simply not be permitted under the new legislation.