The Minister of State, Deputy Michael Moynihan, is very welcome to the Seanad. We greatly appreciate him giving us his time to deal with the next two Commencement matters, the first of which is from Senator Lorraine Clifford-Lee and relates to reading classes for children with dyslexia.

I thank the Minister of State for taking this Commencement debate this morning. This issue is something I am very passionate about and I have spoken to him about it previously. There is an urgent need to open more reading classes in north county Dublin for children with dyslexia, and not just in north county Dublin but nationally. Within special education provision, this area is one where we are falling down.

Reading classes were first established by Micheál Martin when he was the Minister for education. They are classes for children with dyslexia, with a ratio of 9:1 and a strong focus on literacy attainment. They are specifically for children with very significant dyslexia whose basic literacy skills is very low. The children attend for two years during primary school and then return to their own schools to continue their education. Children in the first or second percentile are most likely to be granted a place in a reading class or in one of the four specific reading schools nationally. They should have completed second class or be at least eight years old and not more than 12. This seems to be the optimal age for this hyper focus on reading skills, when they benefit most. An estimated 10% of the population has dyslexia but, as I said, these specific reading classes and reading schools are for the most impacted children.

We have a very low number of reading classes in north county Dublin. There are two in the St. Oliver Plunkett school in Malahide, two in St. Molaga's in Balbriggan and two in the Holy Family Senior National School in Swords. Nationally, the figure is even far lower. We have a high population in north county Dublin and a very young population. There is huge demand and parents cannot get their kids into these classes. As well as that, the Minister of State will be aware that we have four dedicated reading schools nationally. The Catherine McAuley National School in Baggot Street here in Dublin, not far from Leinster House, takes kids from Dublin and the wider Dublin area. There are children coming from Kildare and Meath into Catherine McAuley's every day. There is also the Oliver Plunkett school in Monkstown, St. Rose's National School in Tallaght and St. Killian's school in Bishopstown, Cork. Four schools for the whole country is not much at all.

A child I know in north county Dublin has been refused a place in the Catherine McAuley school. He is below the first percentile for his age group. He is a beautiful, intelligent, talented and charismatic child and he needs access to specialised education. He will be adversely affected and his life will be adversely affected due to there being inadequate places. His family are distraught. They cannot access a place. He is getting great support within the school he is attending but a mainstream school with support is not sufficient and he needs a place. This story is replicated in families right across north county Dublin and right across the country. We are failing children with dyslexia by not supporting their needs.

The Minister of State has put great effort into providing specialised education for children with autism and I know he is very passionate about it. We are not where we need to be but we are making great progress and there were some school announcements just this week. We are, however, failing children with dyslexia and they have been forgotten about over the past number of years. The impact of opening reading classes would be enormous because the children only stay for two years and then they go back to their own schools. The number of children who would go through a reading class, for example over a period of ten years, would be far greater than in a special education unit. I would like a commitment from the Minister of State that he will assess the level of demand and make provision within the Department's budget to open more reading classes in north county Dublin for the 2026-27 school year.

I thank the Senator. Before we go to the Minister of State for his response, I welcome part of a group of Senator Kennelly's guests from Presentation Secondary School in Listowel, County Kerry.

It is timely that they are with us because Senator Clifford-Lee has raised an issue in relation to special reading classes for children with dyslexia. It is an important point in terms of education. I welcome the students and their two teachers, Norma Dowling and Louise McAuliffe. They are the first half of a bigger group coming in.

I welcome the Minister of State.

I welcome the students from Listowel to Leinster House. It is not a million miles from me over the border. I hope they enjoy the day. It is always a great day to experience Leinster House where our democratic process is best performed. I wish them a great day.

Over the past 25 years in particular, there has been huge investment in special education in terms of looking at the issues that pertain to individuals to try to best support them. There has been a lot of talk about the success of reading classes. The Senator outlined clearly the 9:1 ratio and its importance. She referenced a child she knew in her community. When we make cases in the Seanad or Dáil, it is important to bring personal stories because we are trying to make sure that special education is delivering for every student. Reading schools and reading classes have been developed. I am a huge fan of reading schools. I have seen students who have gone to reading schools and classes and it has transformed their lives. In some instances, they have been able to go back into mainstream but they spent one or two years or perhaps longer in a reading class or school. We have seen considerable demand or expressions of interest from families for them. We have invested significantly to try to support children and students within mainstream classes but the inspectorate and the Department are evaluating reading classes and schools and their positive impact. That report is being processed at the moment. We are trying to inform ourselves as to the importance of the reading classes.

Dyslexia has quite rightly been debated; I think this is my third or fourth time in the Seanad debating it and listening to the concerns of Members. It is a real issue because people are bringing it forward and expressing it on the floor of the Seanad. While there is huge investment in supporting children with additional needs in mainstream, the Senator quite rightly pointed out that a large number of extra classes - over 301 - are sanctioned this year, months earlier than last year. That being said, we have listened to debates from the Senator's colleagues in relation to extra time in exams for dyslexia.

We need to evaluate the documentation and the review of reading classes and, in particular, reading schools. The challenge is that there are four reading schools across the country in comparison with the level of demand across the country. We have all come across people who are super intelligent but have dyslexia and it has stifled their growth within a normal functioning society. It has not enabled them to be the best they can be. There is public discussion when people tell us their stories and how they masked it. All of that is true but we have to be mindful as we develop special education into the future. I said in the Dáil last night that the investment we put into education, including special education, would reap rewards not just for the students of today, but for society into the future.

I am happy to hear that the Minister of State is very much aware of the impact of reading classes and schools in transforming the lives of the young people who have been lucky enough to access them. The Government has invested a huge amount of money in mainstream and learning supports but for some children that is not enough. The severity of their dyslexia is such that they require specialised intervention in the form of a reading class. The Minister of State mentioned a report. Will he let me know when he expects that to be available?

The child I referred to is just one example of many. That child is below the first percentile. What is his family to do? He is eight years old. This is the optimum time for him to access a reading class but none is available. I do not know what to say to this family or what hope I can give them that, for next September, there will be a place available for him in north County Dublin.

I do not want to go into the specifics of one person but I will take the matter privately and we will see if we can advise as best we can.

The inspectorate has evaluated the provision for special classes and young people with dyslexia. That report feeds in internally into how we in the Department of education and the National Council for Special Education, NCSE, are going to look at supporting people with dyslexia into the future. A lot of information has come from families and schools about how best practice has worked in their school communities or in reading classes. Information has also come to us about the gaps in the system. We are working together closely on that. I will share some of it with the Senator in terms of the report. We are acutely aware of the challenges. We intend to work on this. As I said in the opening statement, how we invest in special education will determine the outcomes for a lot of children.