I raise a very serious issue, one I would call a crisis, in regard to special educational needs for primary school children in Waterford city and county. Somewhere between 40 and 50 children are still unsure whether they will have a place come September. I have engaged on this, as has Deputy McGuinness, with dozens of parents of children with disabilities who cannot access a place for their child. Some of them have contacted between 15 and 17 schools and got refusal after refusal. It is heartbreaking for the parents. I have written to and met as many primary school principals as I possibly could in recent weeks. Surprisingly for me, many of them told me they want to provide and can provide classes but that there is either no space, they do not have the modular units or they do not have the staff to provide the classes. In some instances, in particular in County Waterford, but also, arguably, in Waterford city, there may be a need for a new special school. While that is something that is needed for the medium to long term, it is unacceptable we have such a volume of young children who deserve to enjoy the same education rights as anybody else, whose parents are doing everything possible - trying to move heaven and earth - to get their children the education they need, but it seems the Department and the Government cannot deliver. I met with the National Council for Special Education, NCSE, and the local special educational needs organiser, SENO. They tell me they have engaged with schools as well but that funding is required to provide the space, the modular units or the teachers that are needed to provide the extra classes. What is the Government going to do about it? Why is it such a problem in Waterford? What initiatives will the Minister of State take to deal with what is a very real crisis for those children and their families?

Sentiment score: -0.04

I have to take issue with some of what the Minister of State has said in his response because it is insulting to the parents of those children. He stated, "As schools begin to enrol students and as places become available, the NCSE will advise and support parents to ensure all children have a suitable placement for September." That is not happening and there will not be places for all children because they do not exist. That is the problem. They do not exist. The NCSE accepts that. The SENOs who work in the area accept that. The schools will tell the Minister of State themselves that this is the reality. The Minister of State then said that it is important for planning purposes that parents engage with the NCSE. They are engaging with the NCSE. They have been given lists. The lists are updated all of the time. They contact the schools that are on the lists. I gave the Minister of State examples of parents contacting 16 or 17 different schools. They go through the list contacting every school, suffering heartbreak after heartbreak and being told, "I am sorry but there are no places." The Minister of State needs to wake up and smell the coffee in this regard. There is a real crisis of capacity. Unless the capacity is put in you cannot say to all children that their places will be there for them in September.

Sentiment score: -0.01