Schools are closed, teachers are on leave and families are on holidays. Incredibly, I have to ask the Taoiseach if the Department of education knows that. If it does, why did it choose this week to announce a whole new application process for special class and special school places for the 2027-28 school year? Parents and schools only found out yesterday. To add insult to injury, the portal closes on 1 September. We all know that so many parents rely on teachers to help them with these hugely complicated applications, yet the Department somehow expects them to do that by the first week back to school. The circular says the Department will have a targeted communications strategy to reach out to parents over the summer and that it wants schools to "assist" it in doing so, even though, I repeat, schools are closed.

We also learned yesterday that, for the first time, children's student support plans will be used to help determine eligibility for a place in a special class. Currently, these plans are created by teachers to support children in their existing classes. They are not supposed to be the determining factor in whether a child can access a special class or not. The fear now is that the Government is changing the eligibility requirements for special classes by stealth. Last December, the Minister, Deputy Foley, announced that assessment of need would no longer be required to access special classes or special schools. Now, we have a hint of what may be coming down the line, namely, reports created by teachers as learning and support aids for children replacing psychological reports, placing huge pressure on teachers who, instead of writing a report on how best to support a child in their own classroom, will know that what they write could be the difference between that child getting a special class or not. This massive change in policy is being slipped through quietly in a circular during the summer break.

In all fairness, I have to ask about the carelessness in the way in which this Government consistently treats special education and the level of disrespect being shown to families and school communities. Will the Taoiseach explain why this announcement was made when schools are closed? Will he do now what will inevitably be done later and postpone the closure of the portal until at least October? Can he confirm that this Government is changing the eligibility criteria for special classes and schools?

The Deputy's portrayal of the Government's position on special education is wrong and does not accord with the facts. We have expanded provision for special education year after year, and we continue to do so, with thousands of more places, hundreds of extra special classes, new special schools, thousands of additional special needs assistants, SNAs, and additional special education teachers. The numbers speak for themselves. It is not credible for the Deputy, notwithstanding the trauma and pressure that parents are under, to portray a picture of a Government that is not engaging with special education, because we are. The figures speak for themselves. The number of extra teachers and SNAs all speak for themselves. Last year, we brought it forward to 1 October, correctly, because it was too late in previous years. The result was a dramatic increase in the numbers applying. Applications were received from about 7,860 children for a special placement for September 2026. That is more than twice the number who did so ahead of the 2025 school year. Bringing the date forward was effective and impactful, resulting in a substantial increase in the allocation to education to cater for the additional needs in terms of special classes. About 580 new special classes have opened as a result of that initiative last year. There are 60 new inclusive special classes and so forth.

In relation to 1 September, there has already been huge engagement from parents. Parents are engaging with the portal. Again, that will facilitate earlier planning and earlier provision to make sure we can get as much as we possibly can done before the school year. There has not been a change of policy in respect of the circular that issued. The Department is seeking information, which is something that should always be done. The Deputy is now saying the date should put back. In many respects in the previous year, the information was coming in too late to organise the new special classes and provision. Bringing it forward has enabled us to do an awful lot more this year, for the current school year, than we would have been able to do in previous years. A very significant additional €646 million on top of the allocated Estimate to education was given by the Government in response to the increased demand. In total now, there will be about 4,200 special classes operating in mainstream schools next year. That is an increase of about 130% since 2020. Our objective is that every child will receive a special school placement by September.

I do not know how the Taoiseach can stand up in here and say there is not a change when this is very clearly a huge change for schools, teachers and students, without engagement with them, without understanding of the impact and, seemingly, without even understanding the school calendar. If it were not so serious, it would be comical. The Government has failed to provide school places for hundreds of children, attempted to slash the number of SNAs in school and botched the roll-out of the summer provision, and the Taoiseach stands up here and tells everybody that things are going great. Given that schools are closed now, people thought they might get a break from this kind of mess, but no, here we are again.

I will ask the other two questions that the Taoiseach did not answer again. Why was this announced when the schools are closed? Will the Government postpone the closure of the portal until at least the first week in October?

Thousands of additional places were secured last year. Where-----

Will the Taoiseach answer the questions?

Sorry, I am answering the questions but the Deputy is making false assertions.

I am not-----

The Deputy is.

She is.

She keeps with her feigned horror and all the rest of it. It is a feigned kind of presentation.

Please, allow the answer without interruption.

We are involved with parents. We have all been involved-----

The Deputies were not interrupted.

-----in special education.

The Taoiseach knows all about-----

We know about it. The Deputy is not the only person who knows about special education. We all know about it because we all go about our work. I know about it. I have known it for a long time.

It is not all about the Taoiseach. It is about-----

We will have one voice and the Deputy has had her time.

Deputy Cairns made it about me. She made it about us. She made the remarks. It is a serious issue. It was the Deputy who started throwing them out again, not concentrating and focusing on the actual key point.

The Taoiseach is being very defensive.

Answer the question.

Respect the Chair.

There is ongoing engagement by the NSCE and the Department with schools and parents. There was a dramatic-----

Engagement when the schools are closed, is that it?

In the past two years alone, there have been 2,000 additional special classes.

Thank you, Taoiseach. Your time is up.

Come on, acknowledge the expansion that has occurred.

We are talking about this year, not last year.

The Deputy is incapable of acknowledging it.

I call Deputy Bacik.