1236. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Minister for Education and Youth if her Department has assessed the need for a special school to serve Wicklow town and the surrounding area, whether there are plans to establish a school; the current status of any assessment or proposal; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [56342/26]

The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) is the statutory body responsible for the provision of special education and allocating supports for students with special educational needs.

There continues to be an increasing need to provide additional special school places to support students with complex needs. To meet this need, sixteen new special schools have been established in recent years, and capacity has been expanded in a number of others.

As announced by Minister Naughton and I, four new special schools are to be established in Balbriggan, CityWest, Bray and Monasterevin. Dedicated working groups including representatives from the department, the NCSE and relevant patron bodies continue to meet to support the establishment of the new special schools. The NCSE will continue to advise parents at local level on developments.

When looking to provide additional capacity the department’s preferred option is to increase provision in existing special schools if possible. Where this is not possible in a region, the department and NCSE will consider the need to establish a new special school.

In planning for increased special school places, my department and the NCSE review all of the available data on the growing need for special school places across the country. This involves a detailed analysis of enrolment trends and the potential for existing special schools in a region to expand.

Part of the forward planning process as to where new classes, schools or expansion is required looks at how far students are travelling to access an education that meets their needs. This is an important factor which has been incorporated into the decision-making process. Consideration is also given to the information the NCSE hold at local level on the number of children and young people seeking a special school place in a region.

My department and the NCSE are committed to ensuring that sufficient special education placements remain available for students with special educational needs and will continue to review and monitor the situation in County Wicklow and indeed nationwide as to where new special schools are required.