Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions
Dail Éireann — 2026-07-08
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Micheál Martin (FF), Cork South-Central

The Deputy's portrayal of the Government's position on special education is wrong and does not accord with the facts. We have expanded provision for special education year after year, and we continue to do so, with thousands of more places, hundreds of extra special classes, new special schools, thousands of additional special needs assistants, SNAs, and additional special education teachers. The numbers speak for themselves. It is not credible for the Deputy, notwithstanding the trauma and pressure that parents are under, to portray a picture of a Government that is not engaging with special education, because we are. The figures speak for themselves. The number of extra teachers and SNAs all speak for themselves. Last year, we brought it forward to 1 October, correctly, because it was too late in previous years. The result was a dramatic increase in the numbers applying. Applications were received from about 7,860 children for a special placement for September 2026. That is more than twice the number who did so ahead of the 2025 school year. Bringing the date forward was effective and impactful, resulting in a substantial increase in the allocation to education to cater for the additional needs in terms of special classes. About 580 new special classes have opened as a result of that initiative last year. There are 60 new inclusive special classes and so forth.
In relation to 1 September, there has already been huge engagement from parents. Parents are engaging with the portal. Again, that will facilitate earlier planning and earlier provision to make sure we can get as much as we possibly can done before the school year. There has not been a change of policy in respect of the circular that issued. The Department is seeking information, which is something that should always be done. The Deputy is now saying the date should put back. In many respects in the previous year, the information was coming in too late to organise the new special classes and provision. Bringing it forward has enabled us to do an awful lot more this year, for the current school year, than we would have been able to do in previous years. A very significant additional €646 million on top of the allocated Estimate to education was given by the Government in response to the increased demand. In total now, there will be about 4,200 special classes operating in mainstream schools next year. That is an increase of about 130% since 2020. Our objective is that every child will receive a special school placement by September.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-07-08/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-09-14T01:01:07+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-07-08