Pat Buckley (Cork East, Sinn Fein)
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391. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of children in the east Cork constituency on a waiting list for a school place in special schools, for 2023, 2024 and 2025, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36019/25]

Pat Buckley (Cork East, Sinn Fein)
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392. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the availability, location and number of places in ASD units in primary schools in the constituency of east Cork. [36032/25]

Michael Moynihan (Cork North-West, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 391 and 392 together.

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.

Through the accelerated provision of additional special class and special school places over recent years, there are now just over 28,000 students enrolled in special classes and special schools. 2,700 new places are being created in 2025 and these, together with the over 1,200 existing places which will become available due to children and young people moving on from primary schools and post primary schools, will mean that there is close to 4,000 places available for the coming school year. The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) has engaged in a process with parents and schools to identify children requiring a place for the 2025/26 school year and the 3,900 places available should meet the need that exists.

Of the 400 new special classes places provided for in Budget 2025, 399 of these classes have already been sanctioned for the 2025/26 school year. Of these 53 are in County Cork, 35 at primary and 18 at post primary level. This will add to the 563 special classes currently in operation in the county.

There are also 16 special schools in Cork with approximately 1,060 students enrolled. One of the five new special schools for the 2025/26 school year will open in the North City area of Cork also.

The NCSE advise that there is sufficient special class provision to meet the level of need known to them across Co Cork for the coming school year with some vacancies remaining in primary special classes.

In relation to special school provision, the NCSE advise that the new special school places and the significant expansion of both East Cork Community Special School and Rochestown Community Special School and additional places in some other special schools will provide sufficient special school places across Cork to meet the level of need known to the NCSE for the coming school year.

The NCSE and my Department have worked very closely with Cork ETB to provide these additional places for the coming school year.

My department and the NCSE are committed to delivering an education system that is of the highest quality and where every child and young person feels valued and is actively supported and nurtured to reach their full potential.