The Labour Party will be fully supporting the motion. I thank Deputy Darren O'Rourke for tabling it. It is important to remember that behind all the statistics we discuss are children and families who are waiting, worrying and, too often, struggling to be heard. Special education is not an niche issue or an add-on to our system. It is a fundamental test of whether our education system is fair, responsive and genuinely inclusive. At present, that test is not being met. We are facing unprecedented demand for special classes and special school places for next September. The Department is aware that approximately 600 new special classes are required. While it is welcome that just over 430 classes have already been opened, there remains a shortfall of roughly 170 classes. That is not a marginal gap. It represents hundreds of children who, as we stand here today, do not know whether they will have an appropriate school place in a matter of months. The reality behind that shortfall is stark. It is parents ringing school after school - often dozens of schools - searching for a place for their child. It is families being turned away repeatedly, left navigating a fragmented and inconsistent system with no clear answers. It is stress, uncertainty and a sense that the system is simply not working for those who need it most. That cannot be allowed to continue. When I raised this issue at the Committee of Public Accounts in February, the Department indicated that a memo would be brought to the Cabinet outlining how this situation would be addressed. When representatives from the Department again appeared before the committee last Thursday, the memo had still not been sent. This raises a fundamental question about urgency. For the Department this may be part of the process, but for families it is their children's future. Every delay matters and every week without a clear plan adds to the uncertainty parents are already facing. We cannot simply remain in the cycle of criticism, followed by crisis response. What is required now is a shift in how we plan and deliver special education. We need to move from an ad hoc reactive approach to one that is ambitious, structured and forward looking. That is precisely what we have sought to do within the Labour Party. In our alternative budget, we proposed an additional €26.1 million in capital funding to accelerate the delivery of special classes and special schools. This is about ensuring that provision keeps pace with demand and that places are available locally at the start of the school year, not months into it. Alongside this we allocated funding for additional special education teachers and a significant number of special needs assistants, recognising that increased capacity must be matched with adequate funding and staffing. However, investment alone is not enough if the system through which places are allocated remains fragmented. One of the most consistent themes we hear from parents is not just the lack of places, but the absence of a clear, co-ordinated process to access them. No parent should have to call 20 or 30 schools, let alone 40, simply to secure a school place for their child. That is not a system; it is a burden that has been unfairly shifted onto families. This is why the Labour Party is proposing the introduction of a centralised application system for school places, covering mainstream and special education provision. We already have an example of how such a system can work on this island. In Northern Ireland, school admissions are managed centrally by the education authority through a single online portal. Parents submit one application and outline their preferences, and the system co-ordinates the allocation of their school places, including special provision. The value of that approach is not simply administrative; it is about fairness and clarity. It provides parents with a transparent process, clear timelines and confidence that the state is taking responsibility for ensuring their child has a school place. It also provides us as policy makers with real-time data on demand, allowing for more accurate planning and earlier intervention where gaps are emerging. We do not need to replicate that model in its entirety but we should certainly adopt its core principle: that the State, not parents should carry the responsibility for allocating school places, A centralised system in Ireland would allow for better co-ordination, earlier identification of demand and a far more efficient experience for families. It would move us away from our current situation, where those with more time, resources or knowledge are better able to navigate the system, while others are left behind. This speaks to the broader issue within special education. We are too often operating in a reactive mode. We respond when a crisis emerges, scramble to create additional places and attempt to resolve issues under pressure. What we need instead is forward planning, supported by robust data and clear structures, so that we are anticipating demand rather than chasing it. That same principle applies when we consider special needs assistants. The recent proposals that would have effectively removed SNAs for some children based on revised criteria led to a significant public outcry and rightly so. Any approach that appears to pit one child's needs against another undermines the very idea of inclusion. SNAs are not an optional support. They are essential to ensuring that many children can access education in a meaningful way. In our alternative budget, the Labour Party has not only proposed to increase the number of SNAs, but also proposed improvements to their working conditions and professional development. This includes the phasing out of the 72-hour obligation, supporting SNAs to achieve QQI level 6 qualifications, and ensuring that workforce planning reflects the realities within our schools. If we want a system that works, we must invest in the people who deliver it every day. We are also proposing the introduction of special educational needs co-ordinators as a formal post of responsibility within our schools at assistant principal level. One of the recurring challenges identified by schools is the lack of dedicated co-ordination for special education provision. Teachers and principals are managing increasingly complex needs alongside their existing responsibilities. A dedicated, co-ordinated role would improve planning, strengthen communication with parents and ensure that supports are delivered more effectively. Finally, I want to address autism provision. There are significant concerns about proposed changes to the autism class model. Organisations such as AsIAm Ireland have raised legitimate questions about whether these changes risk diluting specialist supports. Inclusion is a goal we all share, but it must be meaningful and properly resourced. It cannot come at the expense of the tailored supports that many children rely on. Labour's approach is to strengthen both inclusion and specialist provision. We propose an autism-friendly audit of every school building over a four-year period alongside investment in autism-specific training for all school staff and a full expansion of therapy supports, inclusive of occupational therapy and speech and language therapy, through the educational therapy support service for all of our schools. Education does not happen in isolation. Children must have access to the full range of supports they need to thrive. When we look at the system as a whole, the challenges are clear. There is a shortage of places, uncertainty for families and a structure that is too often reactive. The solutions are also clear, however. With proper investment, better co-ordination and a commitment to forward planning, we can build a system that meets the needs of every child. Ultimately, this comes down to responsibility. At present, too much of the burden is placed on parents, who are left to navigate an unclear and inconsistent system. That is not where the responsibility should lie. It is the role of the State to ensure that every child has access to an appropriate school place and the supports he or she needs. If we are serious about inclusion, we must move beyond ad hoc measures and short-term fixes. We must be ambitious in our planning, clear in our delivery and committed to building a system that works for families. Every child deserves not just a place in our education system but the opportunity to fully participate and to reach his or her full potential.

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