Vincent P Martin (Green Party)
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Go raibh maith agat a Chathaoirleach Gníomhach agus cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire sa Seanad inniu. Scoil Mochua in Celbridge is a thriving primary school going from strength to strength since first opening its doors in 1985. It is the cherished heartbeat of the local community. It is a mainstream school which places huge emphasis on inclusion. It caters for all, including those with additional needs. It is affiliated to the AsIAm pilot project to promote autism-friendly schools. Some of the children with more complex needs may struggle to thrive in a mainstream classroom setting. The correct setting for a child is crucial. Some pupils require a dual enrolment, having a seat in both a mainstream and a special class, when required. For inclusion to work properly and in order for all students to thrive, the prioritised professional input of the State agencies involved must be to the fore. Otherwise, inclusion risks inadvertently becoming exclusion.

Scoil Mochua was delighted to be sanctioned by the National Council for Special Education, NCSE, to provide two special classes. This approval dates back to March 2021. This delight slowly but surely turned into deep frustration. The heroic efforts of the school community have, it seems, been thwarted and the school has been browbeaten into having to endure delay after avoidable delay. Kildare County Council discovered that the land earmarked for building the two classrooms on had not been formally transferred to the council from the original owner. This conveyancing matter was passed to the Office of the Chief State Solicitor in order to get the necessary documents stamped to transfer formally the land ownership to the council and then on to the school. Despite countless direct representations from the school and by many public representatives on its behalf, it took around two years, that is, almost 48 months, to stamp one document. We keep hearing talk of a policy of putting children first but it behoves us to give credence to the 1916 Proclamation of cherishing all our children. This ongoing delay is inexcusable. We need the Minister of State's help to look into this matter because some children have been robbed of time they will never get back.

Earlier this month, the school was informed by the local authority that in order for the disposal of these public lands to be made to the school, the next step is for the official registration of the land to take place and that the matter is back with the Chief State Solicitor's office. There is a feeling of déjà vuhere. The toing and froing goes on and on. It is soul-destroying for the 37 resilient staff, ably led by school principal, Catherine Carragher, the three special needs assistants, the two office administration staff, the caretaker and the dedicated board of management. We cannot lose focus here. Most importantly, we are talking about 676 children attending this school and their supportive families. This protracted red tape bureaucracy is unnecessary and unjustified.

I ask the Minister of State to look into this matter. What assurances can we have that this shambolic delay after delay will be brought to an end? Put children first, front and centre and build these two desperately needed classrooms.

Neale Richmond (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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I sincerely thank Senator Martin for raising this matter. It provides me with an opportunity to update the House on the proposed transfer of land to Scoil Mochua, Celbridge, County Kildare. In the first instance, I assure the Senator that the provision of accommodation for children with special educational needs is a priority for the Government and the Department of Education.

The NCSE has a statutory function to plan and co-ordinate the provision of education and support services for children with special educational needs in consultation with the relevant education partners and the HSE. This includes the establishment of special class and special school placements in various geographical areas where there is an identified need. When the NCSE sanctions a special class in a school, either primary or post-primary, school authorities can apply to the Department for capital funding to reconfigure an existing space within the school building to accommodate the class. Alternatively, it can construct additional accommodation under the Department's additional school accommodation, ASA, scheme. Application forms are available on the Department's website. Similarly, where special schools are requesting to expand provision or wish to refurbish existing facilities, they may also apply to the Department for a capital fund to carry out these works.

Over the last two years, the Department and the NCSE have worked closely on a more streamlined and joined-up planning process which has ensured a targeted approach to meet demand for special education placements ahead of each new school year. The Department continues to work with the NCSE in relation to the short-term requirements for special class and special school places and also the more strategic and longer term requirements.

Arising from that close engagement, the Department is aware of ongoing discussions between the NCSE and Scoil Mochua regarding the establishment of special classes at the school. The Department is also aware that the school contacted Kildare County Council in 2021 inquiring about additional lands adjacent to the school site with the view to acquiring said lands for the development of an AstroTurf pitch and to cater for an additional two special educational needs, SEN, classes that were sanctioned, as the Senator has already alluded to, by the NCSE in early 2021. The council then informed the Department in early 2022 that it was progressing the transfer of said lands adjacent to Scoil Mochua into its ownership. The council also advised that the lands in question were zoned "amenity and open space" and that no school accommodation was permitted to be developed on these lands.

As Scoil Mochua is owned by the St. Laurence O'Toole Diocesan Trust and the school site is therefore not in State ownership, the Department has no direct role in this proposed land transfer. Once any required site extension is secured, the school can apply for capital funding under the ASA scheme. The purpose of this scheme is to ensure that essential mainstream and special educational classroom accommodation is available to cater for pupils enrolled each year and where the need cannot be met by the school's existing accommodation. On receipt of the ASA application from the school, the Department will review the school's requirements and engage with it in respect of any accommodation needs as quickly as possible.

Vincent P Martin (Green Party)
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The reality on the ground in this specific case is upsetting. A young child attending this school has to move to a different school because the family wants her to access a special class, yet the child's home is across the hedge from the school. It is literally a stone's throw away. The child and her family are very happy in that community. The school staff are passionate about education. They do their best to care for each and every student and the parents are hugely supportive. I implore the Minister of State to use his influence in this matter. He has strong Kildare family connections, which I appreciate. In this case there has been a systemic breakdown, a failure and a dereliction of duty. Will the Minister of State ensure the State agencies and the professional agents whom they engage treat this with the appropriate level of urgency that it clearly deserves? This wonderful school community is doing its absolute best but deserves so much better.

Neale Richmond (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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I greatly appreciate the Senator's keen advocacy on behalf of this school in his locality. It is a familiar tale in every constituency and county in the country, particularly when it refers directly to the need for special needs provision. That strikes all of us to the core. While we know the issues are complicated by the ownership of the land by the diocesan trust, I will bring back to the Department of Education and the other State bodies involved the need to respond and react to this matter as quickly and as urgently as possible in order that everything needed is put in order through the right channels. I look forward to working with the Senator to progress the matter further.I thank the Minister of State. That is appreciated.