Pa Daly (Kerry, Sinn Fein)
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122. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of students on a waiting list for a special school place in County Kerry; the number per each school; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40091/25]

Michael Moynihan (Cork North-West, Fianna Fail)
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Enabling children with special educational needs to receive an appropriate education is a priority for this government. It is also a key priority for me, 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 class and special school places are provided.

This is in keeping with policy on an inclusive education, which promotes that children will be supported to receive an education in the most inclusive setting possible.

The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) has sanctioned over 400 new special classes, with an average 6 children each, as well as 300 special school places will be provided for the coming school year. The NCSE are engaging with schools to ensure students are offered places as quickly as possible.

These classes will be added to the 3,335 special classes currently in operation in the country. There are also 129 special schools in the county with approximately 9,000 students enrolled. Five of these are new special schools for 2025/26 school year.

As the Deputy is aware, this year parents and schools were asked to notify the NCSE by mid February if they were seeking a special class or school placement for the 2025/26 school year. The NCSE has advised that just under 3,300 valid notifications were received by mid-February via their new parent notify service. Some of these notifications were children already known to the NCSE however, many others were new. Also, while parents were asked to notify the NCSE by mid-February the NCSE continues to receive notifications and continues to review reports and recommendations for specialist placement as appropriate.

It is not possible at this time to give detailed county breakdowns as there are some children with dual recommendations for both special class and special schools, and we know that in some areas close to county boundaries children will in fact take up a place in a school just outside their own county area.

My department and the NCSE are committed to ensuring that sufficient special education placements will be available for children for this school year and future years.

Pa Daly (Kerry, Sinn Fein)
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123. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of children currently on a waiting list with the NCSE for an assessment of needs; the number of children on a waiting list from 2019 to 2025, in tabular form; the average time children spend on a waiting list; the plans to lower the number of children on a waiting list; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40092/25]

Michael Moynihan (Cork North-West, Fianna Fail)
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The Assessment of Need (AON) process is provided for under the Disability Act 2005 and is a process under the remit and responsibility of the Health Service Executive (HSE) and the Department of Children, Disability and Equality.

Therefore, any queries regarding assessment of need waiting lists should be directed to the HSE and the Department of Children, Disability, and Equality.