Micheál Carrigy (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I fully concur with the comments of Senator Currie. We need to have the opportunity for every child to be educated in his or her own community with his or her own siblings. I do not think it is acceptable that any principal in any school would not seek local support for a class to give every child the opportunity and the same chance in life. It is unacceptable for any school to fail to do that.

I rise to speak about a school in County Longford, Lanesborough Primary School, which sought and strove to provide fully inclusive education. It was sanctioned for an autism spectrum disorder, ASD, class 18 months ago. It sought an additional class and was sanctioned for that. It is using temporary facilities for that class. It actually converted facilities that were meant as silo facilities within the school to provide it. It has an application in since last June to the school building fund get sanction for a new additional class to be built onto the school, but it has heard nothing since. When we have schools that are actively looking to provide that, we need to support them and put the facilities in place. We need to put the funding in place. As I said, we need to put in the capital funding to allow that additional space to be built with the proper sensory area for the kids. That has to be in every community. I will repeat what I said. It is unacceptable for any principal in any school not to provide an education for every child in the community. That has to be strongly endorsed, and I know it is by all. I support the Minister of State with responsibility for special education, Deputy Naughton, in making sure that is the case, and I know she is committed to it.

To finish, I want to mention the announcement today from the Minister for sport, Deputy Catherine Martin, and the Minister of State, Deputy Thomas Byrne, regarding the sports capital programme. We all know the magnificent benefits the sports capital scheme has in every community throughout the country in improving facilities. It is a significant commitment from the Government with €250 million set aside for sports capital and equipment applicants. Grants in excess of 90% will be available to all accredited applicants.We need to look at a new scheme - and I said this before - for facilities to adapt integration of ladies' GAA into the GAA. We need to upgrade our facilities that were not made available or were not fit for purpose.