Education is a constitutional and human right. In 2013,15 children entered junior infants class in Cara Junior Catholic School for special education in Cork. They are graduating this year and only seven of them have places in secondary school, so eight children from that class are being discriminated against. It is not just those children who are affected because there are children in other primary schools right across Cork city and county who do not have places from September. Their parents are distraught and are looking for help. I contacted the Department of Education, which has responsibility for special education, and they told me that this was a priority and that it was being looked into.

The Tánaiste has been in government for ten years, these children went into the school eight years ago and the Government has done nothing about it. Will the Tánaiste commit here today to delivering a special school for Cork North-Central for children between four and 18 years of age?

I thank the Deputy. I will certainly raise this issue with the Minister of State, Deputy Madigan, and will ask her to look into it. She is the Minister of State with responsibility for special education, as the Deputy is aware, and this is an issue that has also been raised by Deputy Colm Burke, by the Minister, Deputy Coveney, and by Senator Buttimer. I cannot make a commitment on the floor of the House but we will certainly have this examined. In my own constituency we had to fight quite hard to secure our first special school which opened this year and it has really helped to change the lives of 30 young people and their families. I can certainly understand the need for more special schools around the country.