I sincerely thank Deputy Dolan for raising this important matter and allowing me the opportunity to outline the changes on behalf of the Government and his party colleague, the Minister of State with responsibility for special education, Deputy Michael Moynihan, that have been recently made to the enrolment criteria for specific speech and language disorder special classes. There are 63 special classes for pupils with specific speech and language disorder attached to mainstream primary schools in dispersed geographical locations. These classes cater for pupils with a very specific set of language needs for a maximum of two years. The enrolment criteria for these classes originate from the recommendations of the special education review committee report, SERC, in 1993. As envisaged by SERC, the classes were designed to provide a time-limited, targeted intervention for children with severe impairments in their skills of understanding and expressing themselves through spoken language. The inspectorate division of the Department published a composite report on the quality of provision for children attending these classes in 2021. While, overall, the inspectorate reported positively on this provision, significant issues were noted. These included: enrolment criteria for entry to the special SSLD classes used at the time did not align neatly with the current diagnostic definition of developmental language disorder, DLD, which has been used by speech and language therapists in Ireland and internationally since 2017. Some schools indicated that there were difficulties caused by the divergence between the DLD diagnostic criteria and the narrower SSLD definitions, as well as the requirement for psychological assessments to establish children's intellectual ability. The inspectorate report noted that the disparity in definition between the DLD diagnostic and original SSLD enrolment criteria must be addressed as a matter of urgency to ensure that the pupils most in need of this specialised support will continue to be prioritised for enrolment. It will be equally important that pupils with lesser language needs, but who might fit into the broader DLD diagnostic category, are supported more appropriately throughout the educational system. In September 2024, the Department undertook a review of Circular 0038/2007. This review has been completed and an updated circular, Circular 0024/2025, was published, as alluded to by the Deputy, on 20 March 2025. This circular, Criteria for Enrolment in Special Classes for Children with Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) or Speech Sound Disorder (SSD), is available online. The term SSLD will no longer apply to entry to these classes and will be replaced instead with developmental language disorder-speech sound disorder, DLD-SSD. This amendment will apply, in some cases, for the 2026-2027 school year, as the admission process had already been completed for 2025-2026. Schools were notified to that effect on the publication of the revised circular. The revised criteria see, among other changes, the removal of reference to IQ as one of the entry criteria for these classes. In terms of co-morbidity, it is important to clarify that the criteria for access to the DLD-SSD class do not exclude children with any co-morbid conditions, such as Down's syndrome. The circular acknowledges that both the DLD and SSD of unknown origin diagnoses may have co-morbidities. A co-morbid condition is one that exists alongside another and is not causative. The Department acknowledges that there may be children for whom their SSD is of unknown origin but there are co-morbid conditions and there are others where the SSD results from a particular medical or biomedical diagnosis. The circular will be subject to review, and will involve the full range of education and health stakeholders. I will make it my business to ensure that Deputies who raise the issue in this House will also have the opportunity to feed into it.

Sentiment score: 0.15

As I outlined previously, the Department has reviewed the enrolment criteria and updated the circular. The updates to the circular were informed by robust engagement with the speech and language therapy service in the National Council for Special Education, the Irish Association of Speech and Language Therapists, and speech and language therapists in the HSE. It was a multifaceted process. There has also been ongoing engagement with school principals on enrolment into these classes for the coming school year. In the medium term, the circular will be subject to review, typically one year after publication. This will involve the full range of education and health stakeholders, as I outlined. Issues identified in the implementation of the circular that require amendment will be made as necessary at that stage. However, the Deputy asked for something to happen a lot sooner than that. I am more than happy to pass that request on to the Minister. It should be possible to facilitate a meeting between the Deputy and the Minister.

Sentiment score: 0.19

If it is arranged, then that is the next step. I am more than happy to put on pressure to ensure that it delivers a welcome outcome.

Sentiment score: 0.41

As the Deputy will know, I am very aware of this issue and I have been lobbied intensely by the local councillors. I will lay out a few points for the interest of the Chamber before I get to the meat of the ask, as is appropriate in such a debate. It is important to state for the record that the annual enrolment process for new junior infants at primary and new first-years at post-primary is a very large-scale operation. It is transacted at close to 4,000 schools across the country, involving some 140,000 pupils. I know because my daughter is one of them for next year. While the Department is aware of enrolment pressures and demand for additional school places in some areas, including Wicklow town and Rathnew, and south County Dublin, there is generally provision across the country, which I think we all can accept, notwithstanding the demographic pressures and others that are driving these factors. As part of the NDP review process, all Departments, including the Department of Education and Youth, are currently engaging with the Department of public expenditure and reform with respect to NDP allocations for the period 2026-2030. It is expected there will be clarity on these allocations over the course of the summer period and this will allow the Department of Education and Youth to plan its capital investment programme for the 2026-2030 period, in line with prioritised needs and reflecting, as appropriate, wider Government priorities. Maximising existing capacity in schools to meet needs is very important, as the Deputy has alluded to in the case of at least one school in her area. The Department of Education and Youth is continually planning for and investing in existing and new schools to ensure every child in the State has access to a school place. With regard to the Wicklow school planning area, there are a number of active projects at primary level which increase that capacity. These include extension projects for Pádraig Naofa National School, Scoil na Coróine Mhuire and Wicklow Educate Together National School, which will provide both mainstream and special educational needs classes. The Deputy has made a very clear request for a departmental official to be sent to meet with those principals. Unfortunately, I am not in a position to guarantee that as I am not a line Minister in the Department but I have no hesitation in passing on that request to the Minister. I am aware that two of the Deputy's constituency colleagues from my party have engaged with and have visited these schools in the past few weeks, including the one with my big brother. I do not need to name names in the House, but the Deputy knows where I am going. This is something we can all get behind in terms of simply looking after the primary school needs of Wicklow town and Rathnew. In the previous Dáil, we debated school places for second level in north Wicklow at length, and also in Newtownmountkennedy. As the Deputy knows, our constituencies are very alike. This is an issue happening in Dublin Rathdown, just as it is in Wicklow and Wicklow-Wexford. Whatever I can do to assist that process beyond party political lines, I am more than happy to do it.

Sentiment score: 0.21

I thank the Deputy for using the time available to highlight a really important issue. Being married to a special education teacher, I hear about this quite regularly, as the Deputy can imagine. For anyone who thinks politicians are going on holidays in two weeks' time, I can assure them not only are we not but our school leaders and teachers certainly are not on holidays at the moment. This is perhaps the busiest and most stressful time, particularly for school principals, which Deputy Dolan alluded to in his intervention. Two weeks ago, I took a similar Topical Issue tabled by Deputy Malcolm Byrne. The original part of this Topical Issue was on the need for national school places in Wicklow town and Rathnew. The point has been made that the Department uses data from a range of sources, including child benefit data, enrolments and information on new residential developments, to plan for school place needs. This is one of the key issues. It is one of the biggest opportunities we have as elected representatives. We are not a data sheet. We are on the ground. Every single one of us is either in the schools as a parent or guardian or just visiting to give talks. We engage with our school communities on so many different issues. It is our responsibility, as elected officials from all parties and none, to be those eyes and ears on the ground. When there are issues with delays of allocation of resources, particularly for pupils who need special education services, that gives us an even greater responsibility. With regard to the issues the Deputy raised in her second intervention, I will bring them to the attention of the Minister of State, Deputy Moynihan. On the provision of school places in Wicklow town and Rathnew, I know there is ongoing consultation. It has started. It is easy to say there are adequate places for a wide geographic area and that it comes down to choice, based either on ethos or family. Crucially, there could be a critical mass of numbers that perhaps is not being captured. This is a really worthy debate that impacts every constituency but particularly commuter belt constituencies like ours and like those of most of the Members in the Chamber.

Sentiment score: 0.24

I thank the Deputy for expressing condolences in the House. I suppose when he submitted this Topical Issue, he did not think we would be thinking of tragedies on our roads and indeed more high-profile ones. It is a timely reminder. The Ceann Comhairle has such a strong track record on road safety, it is appropriate we take a moment before discussing this specific issue. As the Deputy is aware, the Minister is responsible for overall policy and Exchequer funding with regard to the national roads programme. Once funding arrangements have been put in place with Transport Infrastructure Ireland under the Roads Acts 1993 to 2015 and in line with the NDP, the operation and management of individual national roads is a matter for TII in conjunction with the local authorities concerned. TII ultimately delivers the national roads programme in line with Project Ireland 2040, the national planning framework and the NDP. The Government has earmarked €5.1 billion for capital spending on new national roads projects from 2021 to 2030 as part of the NDP. This funding will enable improved regional accessibility across the country as well as compact growth, which are key national strategic outcomes. The funding will provide for the development of numerous national road projects, including the completion of projects which are already at construction stage and those close to it, as well as the development of a number of others. In addition, €2.9 billion was allocated for the protection and renewal of the existing national road network. As the greater portion of this funding becomes available in the second half of this decade, this has meant there has been a constraint on the funding available for new projects in 2025. However, approximately €502 million in Exchequer capital funds was provided for national roads through TII to local authorities in 2025. It is worth noting that this year approximately €650,000 was allocated for the construction of new national roads in Meath, with an additional €5.2 million being allocated for the improvement of the existing network. The allocation for protection and renewal of the existing national road network will fund a range of activities, including road safety improvements, pavement renewal, maintenance of bridges and structures, and measures to ensure the network can withstand the increased number of severe weather events. The Minister for Transport understands from TII that Meath County Council is considering developing a scheme in Carlanstown. There are a number of potential road safety improvements, mainly relating to vulnerable road user facility provision and continuity through the village. I am open to correction, but it is my understanding, and this is where we need to get to the nub of the issue, and it is welcome that the Deputy has raised this in the House in order to do that, that no feasibility and options report has yet been drafted by the relevant local authority. Once a feasibility report is drafted, Meath County Council can engage with TII regarding the progression of the scheme. That is what I have in the reply before me. I do not know if that is contrary to what the Deputy said. Perhaps we are trying to find out exactly what needs to happen here. I hope we can achieve something this afternoon to do just that.

Sentiment score: 0.24

I am glad to hear that the response was of some use. We look at the quantums available, as I alluded to at the outset of my initial response, in terms of the capital spending budget, not necessarily for new national road projects but the €2.9 billion allocated for the protection and renewal of the existing national road network, with a considerable amount, €502 million, made available this year. The Deputy will recall that we were both in the previous Dáil and we raised many issues in this Chamber as Topical Issues and I received issues under Commencement matters in the other Chamber. There has been a very distinctive step change in terms of the funding available in this half of the decade for national road projects. I know that is of little succour to the many Deputies and Senators, particularly those who are no longer here, who consistently raised issues and were told this would come in the second half of the decade. There is funding available. Again, it is down to the options and feasibility report by the local authority to make apparent the real necessity of these works. It is fitting that we conclude this debate in putting on the record our shared desire to make our roads safer on this fateful day.

Sentiment score: 0.13