Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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254. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the degree to which adequate special needs classes are available in all areas throughout the country; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42486/18]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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273. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the extent to which facilities for children with autism or Asperger's syndrome continue to remain available and accessible at primary and second level throughout the country; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42505/18]

Joe McHugh (Donegal, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 254 and 273 together.

This government is committed to ensuring every child with special educational needs has the opportunity to fulfil their full potential.

Funding for special education provision in 2018 will amount to some €1.75 billion, up 43% since 2011 and equivalent to 18.7% of the gross overall current allocation for education and training.

The Department's policy is to provide for the inclusive education of children with special educational needs, including Autism (ASD), in mainstream school settings, unless such a placement would not be in the best interests of the child concerned, or the children with whom they will be educated.

The enrolment of a child to a school is a matter, in the first instance, for the parents of the child and the Board of Management of a school. My Department has no role in relation to processing applications for enrolment to schools and it does not maintain details of waiting lists in schools.

Accordingly, the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) advises parents to seek to enrol their child by applying in writing to the school/s of their choice as early as possible. Where parents have been unsuccessful in enrolling their child in a school for the 2018/19 school year, they should update their local SENO to inform the planning process.

The greater proportion of children with special educational needs attend mainstream class, where they may access additional supports if required.

Some students with special educational needs, although academically able to access the curriculum in mainstream, may find it too difficult to manage full-time placement there and placement in a special class is an option for them. Special classes are resourced to cater for six pupils with complex educational needs arising from their diagnosis and as such are staffed with a reduced PTR and Special Needs Assistant support.

Special school placements are provided for other students with very complex special needs who wouldn’t manage in a mainstream school even for part of the week.

The NCSE is responsible, through its network of Special Needs Organisers, for the development and delivery and co-ordination of education services to children with Special Educational Needs, including the establishment of special class and special school placements.

Since 2011, the NCSE has increased the number of special classes from 548 in 2011 to 1,459 across the country now which includes 1,196 Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) special classes. 160 of the special classes are new classes for 2018/19 school year. The network of ASD classes includes 131 ASD early intervention classes, 743 primary ASD classes and 322 post-primary ASD classes in mainstream schools.

Details of all special classes for children with special educational needs are available on www.ncse.iein county order.

The NCSE is aware of emerging need from year to year, and where special provision is required it is planned and provided for.

The National Council for Special Education has published Guidelines for Boards of Management and Principals of Primary and Post Primary schools which contain information on setting up and organising special classes, including information on resources which may be provided to schools to establish special classes and are available to download from www.ncse.ie.

My Department has acknowledged that in recent years the establishment of special class provision in some schools and communities has been challenging.

As the Deputy may be aware, I signed a Commencement Order on the 4th of October bringing a number of sections of the Education (Admission to Schools) Act, 2018 into operation.

The commencement order will provide the Minister for Education and Skills with a power, after a process of consultation with the National Council for Special Education (NCSE), the board of management and the patron of the school, to compel a school to make additional provision for the education of children with special educational needs. This power will come into effect on Monday 3rd December 2018.

I have asked the NCSE to engage with the education partners and finalise the procedures in advance of this date. This new power will build on the work which has been done in recent years to facilitate schools to open special classes.

My Department will continue to support the NCSE in opening special classes in areas where there is an identified need.