Before I call Deputy McDonald, I reiterate that Members have one minute to ask questions and there is one minute for responses. There are 15 Deputies offering. We will not get to the final three if Members do not comply.

The parents of children with special needs face a constant battle to find school places for their children. The idea that any child is forced into a lottery for the chance of getting a school place is unthinkable, and yet it is happening. The child's future is down to the luck of the draw. The child whose number does not come up is left behind. The mother of Jay Meehan from Waterford is quoted today in the media as saying it is like playing the EuroMillions for her child's future. Parents are frustrated, exhausted and heartbroken. They are receiving rejection letter after rejection letter. Last week, we tabled a motion calling on the Government to ensure that every child will have access to a school place in September within a reasonable distance of their home. However, the Government opposed the motion and made amendments to dilute that very reasonable demand. Why is it that the Government refuses to guarantee a suitable school place for every child next September?

My clear belief is that there is a constitutional right for every child to have a school place and an education. I met yesterday with eight Ministers to discuss the establishment of a disability unit within the Department of An Taoiseach. There has been and there will continue to be significant investment in special education, particularly in the context of additional special schools and classes. The number of special classes doubled in the past five years to 3,336. Some 11 new special schools have been established since 2020, with five more planned for 2025 and 2026. That is no consolation to Jay and his family. However, we will do everything we possibly can to get a place for that child for September next and, indeed, places for all the children who are waiting. That will be a very clear focus of the Government, particularly in area of special education, where investment continues and will have to continue.

The Taoiseach stated that it is unacceptable to have so many people in homelessness. There are 4,500 children in emergency accommodation. We need workable proposals from Government to address the housing crisis. We do not need things like beds in sheds; we need really workable schemes. We in the Labour Party welcomed the tenant in situ scheme. We recognise it is the only hope for many families faced with the prospect of eviction. What we are hearing from across the country is that it is simply not working. It is ineffective in the context of keeping people out of homelessness. We are hearing this from families who have been turned down and from landlords who cannot access the scheme and who are being turned down before they have even fully engaged with the process.

What is the Taoiseach doing to ensure that the tenant in situ scheme will be effective in keeping people out of homelessness?

The tenant in situ scheme has been effective and impactful, certainly last year and the year before.

They cannot get places from the Government.

The Minister is looking to target that scheme more effectively, particularly for people who are very vulnerable. We will have clarity next week on the situation for the remainder of this year.

Earlier this month, St. John's special school in Dungarvan, County Waterford, had to operate a draw overseen by a local Garda superintendent. The draw was not for a raffle to raise money; it was to allocate places in the school for children with additional needs. This is the kind of dystopian ritual that schools are being forced to undertake due to chronic under-resourcing of special education. There are now 20 children from west Waterford, Cork and south Tipperary who are on the waiting list for St. John's. One of them is Jay Meehan, who is four years old. Jay's mother, Rebecca, has said that the State is playing EuroMillions with her son's education. I want to be clear that I am not blaming the school; it was put in invidious position. The blame for this lies squarely on the shoulders of this Government and those that preceded it. Children should not have to enter a draw to get an education; it is outrageous. Every child has a right to an education. This is the bare minimum. We have economic prosperity like never before. Will parents of children with additional needs have to endure the current stress of long commutes to school? How long will this go on?

I addressed this earlier. I make the point that as a percentage of the overall population, the number of children with special and additional needs is increasing fairly significantly. For example, in 2018, about 42,000 children benefited from domiciliary care allowance. That has risen to 64,500 in a short number of years. We need to provide additional spaces in this regard. Officials from the Department of Education are visiting St. John's today, as are officials from the National Council for Special Education. There has been investment at the school, with a three-classroom extension completed last year. The issue will be to provide for those on the waiting list that is now there. I understand that some of them are from east Cork and other geographical locations nearby. We need to make sure that we provide places for those who have not been allocated places in St. John's and whatever else we can do to help St. John's to deal with the increase in numbers.