Maria McCormack (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I stand here today with deep frustration and disgust at the Government's continued failure to address the dire lack of special needs school places for children in Ireland. This is an issue very close to my heart and you are all going to hear me talking about it quite a lot until the time comes that every child on this island has a suitable education place.

Every day I receive calls from terrified parents in Laois alone, including a mother with 26 school refusal letters. That is 26 schools saying they cannot take her child. Another father broke down on the phone to me yesterday. His child should be thriving in a classroom but is regressing at home. Today I want to highlight Sofia and her son Isaac. This is a heartbreaking case that speaks to the reality for so many families. Sophia was forced to quit her job and to home school Isaac because there was no available ASD places last year. She is still fighting this year. This is a mother who wanted to work and who wanted her child to receive an education like every other child in this country but instead was left with no choice but to sacrifice her career to ensure her child did not fall through the cracks. This is not a personal choice; this is a Government failure.

This crisis is not just about numbers on a page. Last Friday night 54 parents slept outside Leinster House in protest, not for themselves but for their children who have been abandoned by this Government. These 54 parents who should have been at home tucking their children into bed instead spent the night in the cold, desperate for the Government to listen to them. This is not a new crisis. It has been ignored for years. Some families are now in their second and third year of waiting. They are left with no choice but to home school while their children regress. That is not education, that is not inclusion and that is not acceptable. Can the following question be put to the Minister? Will every child have a suitable school place by September, and not vague commitments? Will it be in a timely manner, and not another plan that will take years to implement? We have seen money spent elsewhere. We have seen decisions made overnight when it suits, so why are the most vulnerable children in our country not a top priority?