Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, Solidarity)
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791. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of times the NCSE has directed a school to enrol a particular child or young person with special educational needs under Section 67 of the Education Act within the last 6 months. [45020/25]

Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, Solidarity)
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792. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of children that had a section 67 designation notice made for them had issued legal proceedings or had threatened to issue legal proceedings. [45021/25]

Pa Daly (Kerry, Sinn Fein)
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793. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of times the NCSE has directed a school to enrol a particular child or young person with special educational needs under Section 67 of the Education (Provision in Respect of Children with Special Needs) Act 2022, in the last 6 months. [45078/25]

Pa Daly (Kerry, Sinn Fein)
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794. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills how many of the children who had a Section 67 designation notice made for them had issued legal proceedings or had threatened to issue legal proceedings. [45079/25]

Michael Moynihan (Cork North-West, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 791, 792, 793 and 794 together.

The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) is the statutory agency with responsibility for the provision of special education places. The NCSE is, in the first instance, the primary body responsible for the matter the Deputy has raised.]

Under Section 67 of the Education Act, the NCSE have the statutory power to direct a school to enrol a particular child or young person with special educational needs. A number of factors have to be considered, as set out in the legislation, before the NCSE can use this statutory power. The NCSE must also engage with the school.

The NCSE advise that in the last 6 months only one directive to enrol has issued, however as a result of effective collaboration between my department, patrons, schools and the NCSE, this directive was subsequently withdrawn. In total, since the Section 67 process has been in place, the NCSE have advised that they have initiated Section 67 with 27 schools, with a designation for a placement for a total of 140 applicants. While a small number of these may have been in relation to children who had instigated legal proceedings, I cannot comment on ongoing matters before the Courts.

The NCSE advise that 407 new special classes have been sanctioned for the coming school year, combined with 300 new special school places this brings to 2,700 the number of new school places for children with special educational needs. This additional capacity, together with the movement of children across existing classes, means that my department and NCSE has created more capacity than children known to them by the deadline of February 2025.

The NCSE has also advised, that outside of Dublin, all children known to them by the February deadline, who required a special class placement at primary and post primary level have received a place.

For a small number of children in the Dublin area who are seeking a special class or special school placement, the NCSE is working intensively with those parents and the schools concerned to finalise the arrangements for the 2025/26 school year.

In addition, the NCSE are working closely with parents who came forward post the February deadline to support them into available placements.

This year, to ensure new special classes could open as quickly as possible for the 2025/26 school year the NCSE prioritised work with medium and larger primary schools which have available accommodation, and which do not have an existing special class. This approach maximises the use of existing space which can be reconfigured efficiently while also ensuring that new provision continues to be established.

The increased number of schools with special classes provides parents with greater choice and it will also reduce the distances that some children are travelling to access a special class place. This will remain a priority for the 2026/27 school year.

My department has issued a new circular to advise schools and parents to notify the NCSE by 1 October this year if seeking a specialist placement for the 2026/27 school year. This will provide the NCSE with the data to sanction special classes earlier and allow parents and schools more time to plan enrolments.