We are here again. There are so many children in my constituency in south Kildare who do not have an appropriate school place - or any school place - yet this year. I raise the case of two particular families. They are families who have done everything right. They engaged with the NCSE and applied to schools across their area and well beyond and yet their children remain at home while their peers and siblings are in classrooms. It is having a devastating impact on their development. One child, Kayden from Monasterevin, is autistic and has already spent a year being home schooled. His parents have applied to 20 schools over the past two years and homeschooling just is not meeting his needs. Another child, Jack from the Curragh, finished primary school in June. Jack is autistic and has a moderate intellectual disability. He has been refused by all of his local special schools. These families are heartbroken. More importantly, two vulnerable children are being denied their right to education. What immediate action will the Government take to secure appropriate school places for these children don scoilbhliain seo?

I thank the Deputy. I acknowledge the particular instances of the children she has raised. We have sought to prioritise special education funding in the past successive series of years. In 2026, there is a €3 billion allocation for special education - the highest annual provision in the history of the State and a 58% increase since 2020.

That has allowed for a significant expansion of special classes, supporting increased numbers of SNAs and teachers in special education right across the country, as well as 16 new special schools. I do not have a specific localised brief on the case the Deputy raised but I will ask that the Department of education and particularly NCSE, which is tasked with this matter, engage with the parents to provide some certainty on when an appropriate school place will be provided. That is what we are seeking to do in how we prioritise funding in this area.