asked the Minister for Education the up-to-date position regarding the provision of a special school for hearing-impaired children in Tralee, County Kerry.
71.
Written Answers. - Facility for Hearing-Impaired Children.
16.
asked the Minister for Education if a facility for hearing-impaired children in County Kerry who are in need of special education can be provided as these children are at present attending school on a Monday to Friday boarding basis in Cork and the parents of these children feel that their educational, social and emotional needs would be better catered for if they could attend school locally, on a daily basis, and return home in the evening.
I propose to take Questions Nos. 16 and 71 together.
My Department's inspectors have had discussions with the parents of a number of hearing-impaired children from the Tralee area regarding the possibility of establishing a local educational facility for the children concerned. Arrangements are now being made to ascertain the wishes of the individual parents in question so that an assessment may be made of the needs of the children concerned and so as to determine their suitability for enrolment in such a facility.
The Deputy will appreciate that before such a facility could be established, a certain minimum number of pupils with a fairly uniform degree of hearing loss and of intellectual development would need to be available for enrolment.
At this preliminary stage it is not possible to say if the proposal is feasible as it cannot be considered fully until details of suitable and eligible pupils are available.