I thank the Minister for coming in to reply to this important matter. I regret the Minister for Education and Science is unable to be present and I will raise the matter further after I have heard the Minister's reply.
Baineann an cheist seo le Sórd Colm Cille, an baile is mó i mo Dháilcheantar féin. Tá cabhairá lorg agam do na daltaí is laige atá ag freastal ar scoileanna sa cheantar, agus b'fhéidir go bhfuil fadhbanna eile ag na daltaí san ag cur isteach orthu. Is mór an fhadhb é nach bhfuil freastal ceart acu, áfach.
According to the 1996 census Swords is the fourth largest town in the country after Dundalk, Bray and Drogheda and it is regarded as the fastest growing town in Europe. It is amazing that in the four post-primary schools in the town which cater for 2,200 pupils there is only one special class which caters for 17 pupils. Others have applied for places but have been informed that they cannot be accommodated.
Special education is organised in different ways. In some schools children with special needs are catered for in the mainstream with the help of a remedial teacher while in others there is a special class dedicated to meeting their needs. All schools should be adequately resourced to allow them offer appropriate special education facilities. What is happening in Swords is that schools are able to claim they are not in a position to provide a special education service because they are grossly under-resourced and consequently are able to refuse pupils who apply for places.
This places parents in an impossible position — between a rock and a hard place. They have to make a decision whether to send their child with special needs to a school which they know cannot cater for their further needs. There are families in Swords one member of which attends one school while the member with special needs has to attend a separate school. This is not acceptable.
It is not just a question of resources which must be provided. Will the Minister indicate whether each school in the Swords area is in a position to cater for children with special needs on a fair and equitable basis? If not, there is a danger they will be concentrated in one or two schools. There is not an even spread.
Following the announcement of the budget it is clear that there is a two tier economic system, the origins of which can be traced back to the education system. While some schools are expected to cater for pupils with special needs, others earn a name for themselves as schools which cater for pupils of much higher ability intellectually without equipping them, because of their narrow focus, to live in an egalitarian society which caters for the needs of all, not just those who are able to survive in the Celtic tiger.