It is the final week of Dáil sittings before the summer recess. When we return, the schools will already have started. The Minister for education previously stated that it was her intention that every child needing special education would have a place come September. Will that commitment be met or will children be left without appropriate school places?

Over the course of the past year, parents of children with additional needs have done incredible campaigning work. Mothers such as those from the Equality in Education campaign who are in the Gallery, have organised public meetings throughout the country. They slept out on two occasions - once outside the Dáil and once outside the Department of education. They organised an impressive march a few weeks ago and put this issue of the incredible injustice of children having their basic right to an education denied. Their core asks are very simple, namely that every child should have an appropriate school place in their local community, that children are not left at home without school places, that parents are not pressured into taking inappropriate mainstream places where their children will not be supported and that children will not be ferried across or out of their counties on a daily basis. We know that 3,275 children with additional needs were notified to the National Council for Special Education, NCSE. The Minister has indicated that 92% of those have an offer of a school place or a pathway to a school place. That means 260 children were without any offer. However, those 260 are only the tip of the iceberg. Many of the 3,000 or so who have offers do not actually have school places for September. They have a pathway to school places. In many places, it is a pathway to a classroom that does not yet exist.

Teddy will be five years and nine months old in September. After much struggle, his mother, Adrienne, got a call from the school secretary in St. Canice's in Finglas two weeks ago offering him a place. She was told that the place is subject to a building project. She asked for a timeline on the availability of the place and was told that the school is in discussions. She is not holding her breath in terms of the place being available before Christmas. Lucy, who is five, was offered a place but her mother, who is in the Gallery, was told it will not be available until November.

How many of the 3,000 children to whom I refer will not have places in September? How long will they have to wait? How have the classrooms not been put in place? How many will have to travel outside their local areas? Will all 3,000 get the appropriate supports they need? Some of them have been allocated places by the NCSE, which has instructed schools to expand special classes. They are being promised that additional special needs assistant, SNA, supports will be provided. Will they? The additional 1,600 SNAs announced by the Government have already been allocated. The Government is operating an irrational cap on SNA posts.

Time is up, Deputy. Taoiseach to respond.

To go back to the 260, will they get offers of school places or will they be forced to turn up outside the Dáil before we come back?

Deputy Murphy will be coming back in.

First, I welcome James Maloney, who is in the Gallery with his wife Deirdre. James is an elected member of the Parliament of Canada and is affectionately known there as "the minister for Ireland". I had the pleasure of meeting with him when I was last in Canada. I hope he enjoys his visit to the Oireachtas and to Ireland, particularly as he has been a great friend to Ireland in Canada.

Every child is entitled to and has a constitutional right to an education. It is the Government's job to vindicate that right, especially for children with additional educational needs. Schools and parents consistently highlight the value of special schools and classes, particularly where there are challenges in the system with the provision of a broader range of disability supports. This is a key priority of the Government. I have established a Cabinet subcommittee on disability more generally. I have also established a disability unit within my Department to drive change and transformation in respect of all aspects of disability in Irish society.

More specifically, in terms of special education, 407 special classes are being created this year, with close to 2,700 new special education placements for the 2025-26 school year. An additional 1,200 places are available due to student movement, bringing the total number of available places close to 4,000 for the 3,275 students who are seeking them. The key issue will be in terms of geography and making sure that children have access to schools close to them. That is an important consideration. The Minister of State, Deputy Michael Moynihan, and the Minister, Deputy McEntee, have both been working extremely hard on this matter. As the Deputy knows, we are close to establishing an in-school therapy service. This will begin in special schools in the country and will provide in-school therapists for children in special schools. We will then expand it to the entire cohort of special schools and to mainstream education after that. A huge effort has been made to get places in position by September. This is being done in conjunction with the NCSE, which, in turn, works with and liaises with schools.

Five new special schools are being established. Some will not be entirely ready by September, although temporary alternatives are being provided in respect of those where building works are being carried out. For next year and the year after, we are looking at bringing forward the application dates to make sure that there is better identification of need earlier in order to plan for the subsequent year. A pilot programme is under way in respect of the common application system that would ease the burden for parents.

I appreciate that huge efforts have been made by those in the NCSE, people working in schools and, above all, parents. However, what is happening is not acceptable. This is the last Leaders' Questions the Taoiseach is going to face. He cannot back up the commitment by the Minister for education that every child needing special education will have a place come September. He is sending out the message that we have made a huge effort but, unfortunately, some children will be left behind.

The Taoiseach mentioned that for those who have been offered school places perhaps in October, November or December, temporary solutions will be put in place. Will he expand on that? None of the parents know about these temporary-----

Of course they do. In Cork schools, they do.

The Taoiseach will be able to respond.

The Taoiseach might expand on that because the parents I am talking to have to leave their kids in preschool, if the preschool will allow them to do that. In some cases, that is going to be a real problem. In other cases, they are going to have to stay at home - some will not be able to do college courses they were planning to do - in order to mind their children. Can the Taoiseach tell us how many children are going to be left without appropriate school places? Is the number to whom no offer has been made still 260?

The Deputy has asked the question and is over time. The Taoiseach will now respond.

That is simply not acceptable.

In Carignavar in Cork, alterations are being made to an older school building to facilitate a new special school. In the interim, the Gaelscoil, which is no longer in use, is being used as an alternative location until the building is complete. It will be completed before the end of the year. That is my understanding. That is what I referred to in response to the Deputy. I reiterate that five new special schools are being established.

It is our aim that no child will be without an appropriate place by September. That is what we want to do. We are going to work might and main to make sure that becomes the reality. We will work with parents, schools and the NCSE to attend to those children who do not yet have definite clarity in terms of school places. We want every child to have a school place by September. The Minister of State, Deputy Moynihan, along with the NCSE, met recently with parents and advocates from the Equality in Education campaign in order to address a number of key issues. I understand parents have been kept updated on available places for the year ahead. The whole objective is to help parents to secure the right place for their child as quickly as possible.

I thank the Taoiseach. Before moving on to Other Members' Questions, I, too, on behalf of the Oireachtas, extend a warm céad míle fáilte to Mr. James Maloney, MP, from the Canadian House of Commons, who is accompanied by his wife. James was instrumental in having a private members' motion adopted unanimously by the Canadian House of Commons in 2021 declaring March as Irish Heritage Month. Mr. Maloney is affectionately known as "the minister for Ireland". Welcome, and thank you very much.

There are other distinguished guests in the Gallery. We welcome members of the Knocklong Men's Shed. We also welcome Maureen and Elly, who are from Granagh and Templeglantine.

It is Maurice.

It is Maurice. Excuse me. That is the Deputy's writing. We welcome Maurice and Elly, who are from Granagh and Templeglantine.