Kevin O'Keeffe (Cork East, Fianna Fail)
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663. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills to sanction approval for a new special school premises (details supplied) in County Cork. [5605/16]

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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Full details of the process for new school establishment are published on my Department's website. New schools are established to meet demographic demand. Once the Department has identified the need for a new school, its location and projected enrolment level, a process is conducted to allow for different patrons/bodies to be considered as the patron of the new school.

In general, the Department's policy is to integrate children with special educational needs into the mainstream school system wherever possible. Many of our schools have special education units included within them. However, special schools are also necessary to meet the educational needs of pupils whose needs cannot be adequately catered for in a mainstream school.

The need to establish a new special school would be identified by the National Council for Special Education in conjunction with the Department. My Department is currently aware that there is an emerging need for Special School placement options in County Cork and consideration of how this need can be met is currently underway.