Joanne Collins (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State. For too many families in my area, securing an appropriate school place for a child with additional needs is a battle. It is a battle against waiting lists, inadequate resources and a system that often places too much bureaucracy ahead of children's rights. In County Limerick, the reality is stark. Parents of children with autism and other additional needs are struggling to find suitable school places. Mainstream schools are under pressure and struggling to provide proper support due to a lack of special education teachers, SNAs and appropriate facilities. Meanwhile, special classes and special schools simply do not have enough capacity to meet the demand.

I met the mother of a young boy with autism who lives in Hospital, County Limerick. The closest school place available to her child is in Ennis, County Clare, which is over an hour's drive from her house. She has to carry her child, who does not cope well in restricted spaces, such as in a car with a seatbelt, for over an hour travelling to and from school. It gets worse. Because the child is now attending school in County Clare, every single assessment and occupational therapy appointment is carried out in County Clare.

We have all heard the heartbreaking stories of children who are forced to travel long distances outside their communities for school places, families who are left in limbo with no clear pathways for their children's education and children being placed in unsuitable settings because there is no alternative. These are not isolated cases but are happening in towns and villages across County Limerick and, indeed, across the State.

The figures are backed up. Year after year, we see an increase in the number of children requiring special educational supports, yet planning and provision are not keeping pace. The NCSE acknowledges the shortfalls but solutions remain slow and inadequate. Parents are exhausted, schools are frustrated and children are being let down. This is simply not good enough. Every child has a right to an education that meets their needs. Every family should have confidence that the support their child requires is available. Every school should have the resources they need to deliver that support.

What do we need? The amendment needs to be rejected because it completely waters down our motion. The children of this island need and deserve what is contained in our motion. The use of language such as "in a timely manner" is not acceptable in 2025 after years of inaction from this Government. The amendment refers to ensuring that every child known to the NCSE has an appropriate school place. What about all the children who are not known to the NCSE because they cannot access the assessments? I find it funny, if that is the right word, how many Senators from across the floor who are commending us for bringing forward this motion when the Government side has completely rewritten it and watered it down to give their own parties a clause that allows them to get out of doing anything. Standing up and spouting figures and facts and patting themselves and their colleagues on their backs is not going to help the situation. It is certainly not going to bring solace to parents such as Sarah and Darren behind me in the Gallery. I ask every parent, grandparent and anyone with a sense of right and wrong to reject the amendment.