Deputy McAuliffe has asked a pertinent question that is relevant to his constituency but in which I think we all have an interest. It is to ask the number of sanctioned special classes for children with additional needs, as announced earlier this year. The pertinent part is Deputy McAuliffe's request for the number of such classes it is hoped will be operational in autumn 2025. I have raised with the Minister and the Taoiseach the challenge in filling teaching positions. A Department payroll review highlighted 1,200 vacancies in the primary sector during the last term of the school year. I see a great challenge in filling these positions. I ask for an update on that.

Sentiment score: 0.32

I am always conscious when we are discussing this topic of the review that was undertaken of the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs Act recently. The research that went into that highlighted clearly that the term "additional needs" is preferable to "special education". I am conscious of that and that my language should be more appropriate. I very much welcome the recent announcement by the Minister of State that training in teacher training colleges will now include a period where the teacher will undertake teaching practice in a classroom for children with additional needs. That will enhance the standard of the teachers being produced. To return to the first point I made, I am concerned there will not be sufficient teachers in September to fill the additional 400 places that have been developed through the Minister's efforts for classes for children with additional needs. I say that in light of recent data from the Department showing there are already a large number of vacancies in the sector. That is reaffirmed by data provided by the Irish National Teachers' Organisation, INTO. It is a great concern of mine, and schools are concerned by that as well.

Sentiment score: 0.26

I concur with the Minister of State on the quality of the teaching personnel who are being produced by our teaching colleges. I just think we need more of them. We genuinely need to review that. There are gaps and vacancies that will not be filled in September. I am concerned about that and I think we need to expand the number of teacher training places. I will bring two other points to the floor for discussion with the Minister of State, one being the categories of classes for children with additional needs. The Minister of State and I had a meeting about this yesterday with parents from the Down Syndrome Ireland Galway branch who are concerned that there is not a sufficient number of the different categories of classes for children with additional needs being provided. In County Galway, for example, there are only two classes for children with mild general learning disabilities. County Galway is the second largest geographical county in the island. It is not fair that children have to travel extensive distances to attend the appropriate class. I am sure the Minister of State will be aware of the review conducted by the inspectorate of the admissions policies of primary and post-primary schools for autistic children and young people. That review expressed some concerns. In its findings, the inspectorate used the term "concerning", and the main concern was that policies in some schools, if they were implemented as written, could prevent children with the greatest level of need from accessing a place in a class for children with additional needs.

Sentiment score: 0.08