Rose Conway-Walsh (Mayo, Sinn Fein)
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116. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will provide an update on the provision of autism classes in County Mayo. [17236/25]

Michael Moynihan (Cork North-West, Fianna Fail)
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This government is fully committed to supporting children with special educational needs to fulfil their full potential and the Programme for Government makes a number of commitments to deliver on this objective.

The majority of children with special education needs are supported by their classroom teachers, special education teachers and SNAs to attend mainstream classes with their peers. For children with more complex needs a special class or special school place can be provided.

Up to an additional 2,700 specialist places, made up of 400 new special classes for on average 6 children each and 300 special school places will be provided for the coming school year. In addition there will be well over 1,200 places available through the normal annual movement of students progressing and graduating out of schools. The NCSE advise that there remains special classes with vacant places in some areas of the country, including in County Mayo.

The NCSE have already sanctioned 375 new special classes nationwide, and they are engaging intensely with schools and school patron bodies in some areas to confirm additional special classes as soon as possible. Of these 4 are in County Mayo, all at primary level.

This will add to the 72 special classes currently in operation in County Mayo. These classes are located in areas of greatest need, where a mainstream class is not an option for the children which they support. There is also four special schools in the county with approximately 160 students enrolled.

Where new special classes have been sanctioned, I would urge schools to progress the admission of students as soon as possible to ensure that the NCSE can continue to evaluate demand in local areas, sanction classes as required and assist parents in securing a school place. My department is writing to schools to progress admissions in newly opened classes as quickly as possible to provide parents with the certainty they require.