Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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335. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will ensure that a person (details supplied) is allocated a place in a facility. [5767/25]

Michael Moynihan (Cork North-West, Fianna Fail)
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Enabling children with special educational needs to receive a befitting education is a priority for this government. It is also a key priority for my department and for the National Council for Special Education (NCSE).

The vast majority of children with special educational needs are supported to attend mainstream classes with their peers. Where children with more complex needs require additional supports, special classes and special school places are provided.

The NCSE has advised that the local special educational needs organiser is working closely with the student’s family regarding options for school placements and other special education supports for the coming academic year. The NCSE and my Department are also in communication with the school board of management to ensure that the school utilise all of its available classroom accommodation to meet the needs of local children needing a special school place.

There continues to be an increasing need to provide additional special school places to support children with complex needs. To meet this need, eleven new special schools have been established in recent years and capacity has been expanded in a number of others. Five more special schools will be established for the 2025/26 school year in counties, Cork, Dublin (2), Monaghan and Tipperary.

Parents seeking special class placements for their children are advised to contact the NCSE locally for planning purposes. Local SENOs are available to assist and advise parents and can provide details on schools with available special educational places. Parents may contact SENOs directly using the contact details available on the NCSE website.

The NCSE has completed over 1,000 school planning visits in recent months. These planning visits have been key to the NCSE in determining what new provision can be provided. It is expected that the NCSE will sanction a number of new special placements for the 2025/26 school year in the coming weeks.

As the NCSE progress the sanctioning of new special classes and school places over the coming weeks they will advise parents in turn on the location of this provision for the 2025/26 school year.

My department and the NCSE are committed to ensuring that sufficient special education placements remain available for children with special educational needs.