I must now deal with a postponed division relating to the motion regarding special education provision. On Tuesday, 18 February 2025, on the question, "That the amendment to the motion be agreed to", a division was claimed and in accordance with Standing Order 85(2), that division must be taken now.
Provision of Special Education: Motion (Resumed) [Private Members]
The following motion was moved by Deputy Darren O’Rourke on Tuesday, 18 Feburary 2025:
That Dáil Éireann:
recognises:
— the fundamental right of every child to access the education system;
— the current and projected demand for special education placements is growing;
— the current shortage of special classes and appropriate school places, leaving children, particularly those with additional needs, without access to suitable education;
— the trauma and absolute heartbreak endured by parents and families due to the lack of suitable school places;
— the failure of successive Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael Governments to adequately plan for, and invest in, the expansion of special education;
— the lack of coordination between the Department of Education, the National Council for Special Education and schools, resulting in a fragmented and inefficient system;
— the disproportionate impact on children from disadvantaged backgrounds, who face even greater barriers to accessing appropriate education; and
— the current state of special education is unacceptable and fails to uphold the rights of children with additional needs; and
calls on the Government to:
— immediately expand the number of special school places, special classes and special education teaching hours across the State;
— ensure every child currently without a suitable school place, and all those due to start Primary or Post-Primary Schools in September, 2025, have access to a suitable school place within a reasonable distance from their home;
— enact the Education (Inclusion of Persons) Bill 2023, and the Education (Amendment) Bill 2024, to identify demand, gaps in provision, and to develop a long-term strategy for special education;
— ensure meaningful consultation and greater collaboration between education authorities and school leaders in special education planning and delivery, and to address the shortage in special schools and special class placements;
— streamline the process for opening new special classes and provide additional funding and resources for schools opening new special classes;
— invest in recruitment and continuous professional development for teachers and Special Needs Assistants to ensure they are supported to meet the diverse needs of students in special classes, and this must include addressing the root causes of the recruitment and retention crisis in the education and disability sectors; and
— expand the Educational Therapy Support Service, to help build the capacity of school communities to meet student's needs.
Debate resumed on amendment No. 1:
To delete all words after "Dáil Éireann" and substitute the following:
"notes that:
- a child's right to education is enshrined in the Constitution and, under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, must be accessible on an equal basis with others in the community in which they live; and
- the Government is committed to ensuring that each child with a special educational need has an appropriate school place, in line with their Constitutional right and Programme for Government commitments;
further notes:
- the continued significant State investment of €2.9 billion in supporting the provision of special education, a 48 per cent increase since 2020;
- the increase in the allocation of Special Education Teachers and Special Needs Assistants (SNAs) to support children with Special Educational Needs (SEN) in our schools;
- the strategic initiatives introduced to provide for the continued accelerated delivery of special class places in mainstream schools and special school places, with the number of special classes having doubled over the last five years and 16 new special schools being established;
- the work being progressed to provide up to another 400 new special classes and 300 additional special school places for the coming school year, to ensure that every child known to the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) has an appropriate school place;
- the significant investment in the expansion of staffing at the NCSE to assist families of children with SEN in all aspects of their educational journey, including accessing a placement appropriate to their needs;
- the ongoing engagement between the NCSE, the Department of Education, school patron bodies, school management bodies and schools, in relation to the forward planning of special education provision, which has yielded additional classes in every county at primary- and post-primary level in recent years;
- the enactment of the Education (Provision in Respect of Children with Special Needs) Act 2022, which provides a power to compel schools to make additional provision for children with SEN and for the NCSE to direct schools to admit children with SEN;
- the establishment of the D15 Taskforce to support forward planning for special education provision in the area, and to support the trial of a common application system for special classes;
- the introduction of a new pilot to reinstate therapy services onsite in special schools, and the commitment in the Programme for Government to provide for an education led therapy service for special schools;
- the funding provided for the training and upskilling of teachers and SNAs who support children with SEN;
- the expansion of the Summer Programme, which has seen the number of children participating increase by 150 per cent since 2020;
- that the extensive review by the Department of Education of the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs Act 2004 is nearing completion;
- the establishment of a new SNA Workforce Development Unit by the Department of Education;
- the ongoing investment in the Delivering Equality of Opportunity In Schools programme, to support schools and students at risk of educational disadvantage; and
- the renewed focus of the Government on the area of disability services, with a particular focus on improving the delivery of services for children with disabilities; and
calls on the Government to:
- take any necessary steps to ensure that every child who needs a special educational place has access to one in a timely manner;
- continue to expand the number of special school places, special classes and special education teaching hours as required across the State;
- improve communication and outreach to parents of children with SEN, to streamline the process by which parents apply for specialist school places, reducing the burden on them and improving the timelines, including the introduction of a common application procedure;
- continue to increase investment into the area of Special Education, to ensure that every child can reach their full potential;
- support additional schools and students to benefit from the Summer Programme; and
- ensure the NCSE will continue to engage intensively with parents and all educational partners to continue to increase capacity.".
-(Minister for Education)
Amendment put:
The Dáil divided: Tá, 87; Níl, 69; Staon, 0.
Tá
- Aird, William.
- Ardagh, Catherine.
- Boland, Grace.
- Brabazon, Tom.
- Brennan, Brian.
- Brennan, Shay.
- Brophy, Colm.
- Browne, James.
- Burke, Colm.
- Burke, Peter.
- Butler, Mary.
- Butterly, Paula.
- Buttimer, Jerry.
- Byrne, Malcolm.
- Byrne, Thomas.
- Cahill, Michael.
- Callaghan, Catherine.
- Calleary, Dara.
- Canney, Seán.
- Carrigy, Micheál.
- Carroll MacNeill, Jennifer.
- Chambers, Jack.
- Cleere, Peter 'Chap'.
- Clendennen, John.
- Collins, Niall.
- Connolly, John.
- Cooney, Joe.
- Crowe, Cathal.
- Cummins, John.
- Currie, Emer.
- Daly, Martin.
- Dempsey, Aisling.
- Devlin, Cormac.
- Dillon, Alan.
- Dolan, Albert.
- Dooley, Timmy.
- Feighan, Frankie.
- Fleming, Seán.
- Gallagher, Pat the Cope.
- Geoghegan, James.
- Grealish, Noel.
- Harkin, Marian.
- Healy-Rae, Danny.
- Healy-Rae, Michael.
- Heneghan, Barry.
- Heydon, Martin.
- Higgins, Emer.
- Keogh, Keira.
- Lahart, John.
- Lowry, Michael.
- Martin, Micheál.
- Maxwell, David.
- McAuliffe, Paul.
- McCarthy, Noel.
- McConalogue, Charlie.
- McCormack, Tony.
- McEntee, Helen.
- McGrath, Séamus.
- McGreehan, Erin.
- McGuinness, John.
- Moran, Kevin Boxer.
- Moynihan, Aindrias.
- Moynihan, Michael.
- Moynihan, Shane.
- Murnane O'Connor, Jennifer.
- Murphy, Michael.
- Naughton, Hildegarde.
- Neville, Joe.
- O'Brien, Darragh.
- O'Callaghan, Jim.
- O'Connell, Maeve.
- O'Connor, James.
- O'Donnell, Kieran.
- O'Meara, Ryan.
- O'Shea, John Paul.
- O'Sullivan, Christopher.
- Ó Fearghaíl, Seán.
- Ó Muirí, Naoise.
- Richmond, Neale.
- Roche, Peter.
- Scanlon, Eamon.
- Smith, Brendan.
- Smyth, Niamh.
- Timmins, Edward.
- Toole, Gillian.
- Troy, Robert.
- Ward, Barry.
Níl
- Ahern, Ciarán.
- Bacik, Ivana.
- Bennett, Cathy.
- Boyd Barrett, Richard.
- Brady, John.
- Buckley, Pat.
- Byrne, Joanna.
- Carthy, Matt.
- Clarke, Sorca.
- Collins, Michael.
- Connolly, Catherine.
- Conway-Walsh, Rose.
- Cronin, Réada.
- Crowe, Seán.
- Cullinane, David.
- Cummins, Jen.
- Daly, Pa.
- Devine, Máire.
- Doherty, Pearse.
- Donnelly, Paul.
- Ellis, Dessie.
- Farrelly, Aidan.
- Farrell, Mairéad.
- Gannon, Gary.
- Gibney, Sinéad.
- Gould, Thomas.
- Graves, Ann.
- Hayes, Eoin.
- Healy, Seamus.
- Hearne, Rory.
- Kelly, Alan.
- Kenny, Eoghan.
- Kenny, Martin.
- Kerrane, Claire.
- Lawless, Paul.
- Lawlor, George.
- Mac Lochlainn, Pádraig.
- McGettigan, Donna.
- McGrath, Mattie.
- McGuinness, Conor D.
- Mitchell, Denise.
- Mythen, Johnny.
- Nash, Ged.
- Newsome Drennan, Natasha.
- Ní Raghallaigh, Shónagh.
- Nolan, Carol.
- O'Callaghan, Cian.
- O'Donoghue, Richard.
- O'Donoghue, Robert.
- O'Flynn, Ken.
- O'Gorman, Roderic.
- O'Hara, Louis.
- O'Reilly, Louise.
- O'Rourke, Darren.
- Ó Broin, Eoin.
- Ó Laoghaire, Donnchadh.
- Ó Murchú, Ruairí.
- Ó Snodaigh, Aengus.
- Ó Súilleabháin, Fionntán.
- Quaide, Liam.
- Quinlivan, Maurice.
- Rice, Pádraig.
- Sheehan, Conor.
- Smith, Duncan.
- Stanley, Brian.
- Tóibín, Peadar.
- Wall, Mark.
- Ward, Mark.
- Whitmore, Jennifer.
Staon
Tellers: Tá, Deputies Mary Butler and Emer Currie; Níl, Deputies Pádraig Mac Lochlainn and Denise Mitchell.
Amendment declared carried.
Question put: "That the motion, as amended, be agreed to."
The Dáil divided: Tá, 87; Níl, 70; Staon, 0.
Tá
- Aird, William.
- Ardagh, Catherine.
- Boland, Grace.
- Brabazon, Tom.
- Brennan, Brian.
- Brennan, Shay.
- Brophy, Colm.
- Browne, James.
- Burke, Colm.
- Burke, Peter.
- Butler, Mary.
- Butterly, Paula.
- Buttimer, Jerry.
- Byrne, Malcolm.
- Byrne, Thomas.
- Cahill, Michael.
- Callaghan, Catherine.
- Calleary, Dara.
- Canney, Seán.
- Carrigy, Micheál.
- Carroll MacNeill, Jennifer.
- Chambers, Jack.
- Cleere, Peter 'Chap'.
- Clendennen, John.
- Collins, Niall.
- Connolly, John.
- Cooney, Joe.
- Crowe, Cathal.
- Cummins, John.
- Currie, Emer.
- Daly, Martin.
- Dempsey, Aisling.
- Devlin, Cormac.
- Dillon, Alan.
- Dolan, Albert.
- Dooley, Timmy.
- Feighan, Frankie.
- Fleming, Seán.
- Gallagher, Pat the Cope.
- Geoghegan, James.
- Grealish, Noel.
- Harkin, Marian.
- Healy-Rae, Danny.
- Healy-Rae, Michael.
- Heneghan, Barry.
- Heydon, Martin.
- Higgins, Emer.
- Keogh, Keira.
- Lahart, John.
- Lowry, Michael.
- Martin, Micheál.
- Maxwell, David.
- McAuliffe, Paul.
- McCarthy, Noel.
- McConalogue, Charlie.
- McCormack, Tony.
- McEntee, Helen.
- McGrath, Séamus.
- McGreehan, Erin.
- McGuinness, John.
- Moran, Kevin Boxer.
- Moynihan, Aindrias.
- Moynihan, Michael.
- Moynihan, Shane.
- Murnane O'Connor, Jennifer.
- Murphy, Michael.
- Naughton, Hildegarde.
- Neville, Joe.
- O'Brien, Darragh.
- O'Callaghan, Jim.
- O'Connell, Maeve.
- O'Connor, James.
- O'Donnell, Kieran.
- O'Meara, Ryan.
- O'Shea, John Paul.
- O'Sullivan, Christopher.
- Ó Fearghaíl, Seán.
- Ó Muirí, Naoise.
- Richmond, Neale.
- Roche, Peter.
- Scanlon, Eamon.
- Smith, Brendan.
- Smyth, Niamh.
- Timmins, Edward.
- Toole, Gillian.
- Troy, Robert.
- Ward, Barry.
Níl
- Ahern, Ciarán.
- Bacik, Ivana.
- Bennett, Cathy.
- Boyd Barrett, Richard.
- Brady, John.
- Buckley, Pat.
- Byrne, Joanna.
- Carthy, Matt.
- Clarke, Sorca.
- Collins, Michael.
- Connolly, Catherine.
- Conway-Walsh, Rose.
- Cronin, Réada.
- Crowe, Seán.
- Cullinane, David.
- Cummins, Jen.
- Daly, Pa.
- Devine, Máire.
- Doherty, Pearse.
- Donnelly, Paul.
- Ellis, Dessie.
- Farrelly, Aidan.
- Farrell, Mairéad.
- Fitzmaurice, Michael.
- Gannon, Gary.
- Gibney, Sinéad.
- Gould, Thomas.
- Graves, Ann.
- Hayes, Eoin.
- Healy, Seamus.
- Hearne, Rory.
- Kelly, Alan.
- Kenny, Eoghan.
- Kenny, Martin.
- Kerrane, Claire.
- Lawless, Paul.
- Lawlor, George.
- Mac Lochlainn, Pádraig.
- McGettigan, Donna.
- McGrath, Mattie.
- McGuinness, Conor D.
- Mitchell, Denise.
- Mythen, Johnny.
- Nash, Ged.
- Newsome Drennan, Natasha.
- Ní Raghallaigh, Shónagh.
- Nolan, Carol.
- O'Callaghan, Cian.
- O'Donoghue, Richard.
- O'Donoghue, Robert.
- O'Flynn, Ken.
- O'Gorman, Roderic.
- O'Hara, Louis.
- O'Reilly, Louise.
- O'Rourke, Darren.
- Ó Broin, Eoin.
- Ó Laoghaire, Donnchadh.
- Ó Murchú, Ruairí.
- Ó Snodaigh, Aengus.
- Ó Súilleabháin, Fionntán.
- Quaide, Liam.
- Quinlivan, Maurice.
- Rice, Pádraig.
- Sheehan, Conor.
- Smith, Duncan.
- Stanley, Brian.
- Tóibín, Peadar.
- Wall, Mark.
- Ward, Mark.
- Whitmore, Jennifer.
Staon
Tellers: Tá, Deputies Mary Butler and Emer Currie; Níl, Deputies Pádraig Mac Lochlainn and Denise Mitchell.
Question declared carried.