Before I begin, I extend the Labour Party's deep sadness and shock at the horrific murder of 19 children and two adults yesterday in Uvalde, Texas. It is clear gun violence in the US is out of control, and there is ever-diminishing hope it will lead to much-needed change.

Last week, a family once again had to resort to telling their story to RTÉ to vindicate the constitutional right of their children to an education. When our leader, Deputy Bacik, raised it with the Taoiseach last Wednesday, he apologised to the family. We are glad the Milne family have now been given a commitment of local school places. However, it should never have come to this. For years, the Milne family had to fight for educational access. Ryan and Kyle Milne have lost six years of schooling. Their mother, Gillian, said, "We've basically been punished for having children with special needs. You feel almost to blame. Did we not fight hard enough?" No parent should have to say those words. No parent should have to put themselves in that position of opening up their private lives just to get access to education for their child.

We on the Opposition benches are constantly told that it is not for the want of resources or Government action that there is more than €2 billion in the education budget for complex needs but there are still many outstanding issues that must be addressed. The Minister will issue section 37A notices and open special classes, but we still do not have all the information. Many families throughout the country are still waiting for a place. There is an acute shortage of places everywhere in this country. Only last night, our spokesperson, Deputy Ó Ríordáin, and Councillor John Walsh met with parents to discuss the acute shortage of secondary school places for children with autism in Dublin 15. Last week, the Minister of State, Deputy Madigan, was unable to reveal how many children are waiting on a place. We need to know how many are waiting. Schools throughout the country are still waiting on their special needs assistant, SNA, allocation for next year.

These are complex issues that involve huge public investment. Clearly, it is a problem where there is not sufficient planning for special class places. The legislative framework is also clearly out of date. The Government and the Minister have said they are reviewing the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs, EPSEN, Act and the Education Act. In his article yesterday, Fergus Finlay rightly highlighted that for 17 years, key EPSEN provisions have not commenced, including the granting of individual educational plans. A review at this stage will not help parents who are struggling now. It will not address the right of children with additional needs to an education. We know the law must be updated, but that will take time, and that proper planning can address these issues. We know the Department has nearly all the information it needs to determine where places are required.

What I want from the Minister today is clarification. How many children are waiting on a special school place? Will he provide the numbers with a regional breakdown? We are now at the end of the school year. Will he guarantee that every child will be guaranteed a special school place for the next school year? Will the Minister commence the EPSEN Act and fast-track a review?

I thank the Deputy for raising this very important issue. I know from working with him in my constituency, Dublin Fingal, that it is a very important issue to him and, indeed, all Members so that we make sure we provide special education places and supports for those kids who need it. That is why the Minister of State, Deputy Madigan, has been so vociferous in her work to ensure we increase the number of available school places.

This year, the Department of Education will spend €2 billion, which is more than 25% of the Department's budget, on providing additional teaching and care supports for children with special needs, and rightly so. It remains an absolute key objective within Government. We have 287 additional special classes with 1,700 new places provided for in 2022-23.

On the issue involving the Milne family, I agree with the Deputy that no one wants parents to have to raise those issues publicly. The Minister of State is in constant contact with the family. She has met with them and continues to keep them briefed. This evening, she will meet a group of families in the Dublin 15 area about their concerns. This is a real priority for us.

There are an additional 1,665 SNAs in place to provide supports for children with special needs. That brings the total number of SNAs to more than 19,000. As our population grows, we will need more, which is something the Government continues to prioritise.

There are 980 new teaching posts in special education and three new special schools have been opened in Cork and Dublin. That is important. Over €40 million has been made available to fund the summer education programme for pupils with complex special educational needs. We manage the numbers on waiting lists and assess how many people in each area need the supports that they get through our network of special educational needs organisers, SENOs. The work on the SNA allocation for each specific area will be completed by the end of this month. I fully understand why the Deputy is asking for numbers. The numbers change on a daily basis as kids enter the education system. The Deputy will be aware of that. The Minister of State, Deputy Madigan, and the Department of Education are focused on continuing to improve the services there. Many of the special educational needs that people have are complex. Each child needs to be assessed individually, as the Deputy knows. I assure the Deputy that we will continue to prioritise the issue. The work on the SNA allocation will be concluded by the end of this month. We should be in a position to be able to give more details once that work is concluded.

We still do not know how many children are waiting on special school places. We need figures that are as accurate as possible on an ongoing basis. We do not know how the Department will adequately enforce section 37A notices to ensure that every child who needs a place is granted one. An AsIAm report showed that one quarter of parents of children with autism feel that they do not have an appropriate school place. While we wait for a review, I also wish to ask the Minister whether the Special Educational Needs Act 2004, the EPSEN Act, will finally be commenced. It is a key question.

We also raised the delay in announcing SNA allocations last week. The Minister has said that that work will be completed by the end of this month. It should have been completed by the end of last month, if not earlier, as it has been in previous years. It is extraordinarily disruptive for SNAs, principals and parents that it is delayed to the end of this month. It really disrupts their ability to plan for next year. The Minister stated it will happen by the end of this month. We will have to take him on his word. We need definitive dates and ongoing planning. We need to know how many special school places are required on a regional basis.

I genuinely thank the Deputy. It is important that we are able to raise matters as important as this here today. The EPSEN Act review group met yesterday evening. The group will commence its work on this and will report to the Minister within a matter of months. The Minister of State, Deputy Madigan, will keep the House advised on that.

On the specific numbers, the number of children who require supports is recorded on a regional basis and a per-county basis. We could provide the Deputy with a figure today. However, today's figure will change tomorrow. It is important that we have the supports in place to make sure that kids are not waiting any longer than they need to to get the supports that they require and deserve. Going back to what I have said previously, looking back over the last 15 years and the improvements made in the mainstreaming of special education both at primary and secondary levels, we have made vast strides in that space and we continue to do so. It is a real priority within the Government's objectives on education.