Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions
Dail Éireann — 2026-09-29
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Cian O'Callaghan (SD), Dublin Bay North

I pay tribute to Miriam Lord and acknowledge the huge contribution she has made to Irish journalism. On behalf of the Social Democrats, I wish her all the best for the future.
Tá ceart rochtana ag gach páiste ar an oideachas. Ní féidir leis an Rialtas dearmad a dhéanamh ar an gceart oideachais atá ag páistí le riachtanais bhreise. Last night, Virgin Media broadcast a devastating documentary about special education in this country.
Anyone who watches it will be left asking serious questions. How can the Government stand over children with additional needs being educated in a storage cupboard? How can it stand over children in distress being sent to a converted toilet to regulate? How on earth could this be allowed to happen? The documentary showed how some children with additional needs, their families and schools are being comprehensively failed by this Government. It showed how they must spend their lives in a constant fight for services, equipment, resources and an education. Every waking moment is spent fighting with a State and Government that is supposed to be there to help them. The grim reality is that when they lose that fight, there are no consequences for anyone other than the children and the families themselves. There are no inquiries or investigations, just children and families who are left feeling alone, marginalised and isolated, trying to pick up the pieces.
One of the schools that featured last night was Stapolin Educate Together National School. I welcome its principal, Clodagh, and one of its special needs assistants, SNAs, Samantha, to the Public Gallery. I commend Clodagh, Samantha and everyone who is working in special education on their incredible dedication and commitment. The Minister of State, Deputy Moynihan, himself visited Stapolin national school last year. He stood in the very storage cupboard where children with additional needs are being educated, so the remarks of a senior education Minister last night that this situation is not acceptable ring hollow.
Another school that featured in last night's documentary is in Ballintemple, in the Taoiseach's own constituency. The principal of the School of the Divine Child, Fiona Thomas, described how they are being starved of resources, and they are not being listened to by the Government. What we saw last night should shame the Taoiseach and everyone in his Government. That is why families were protesting outside the Dáil today. They are at their wits' end. They are tired of this Government's broken promises. They are tired of watching their children suffer and feeling helpless. They are tired of being ignored. They want the Taoiseach and his Government to take action. What does the Taoiseach have to say to them? Why is this Government continuing to fail children with additional needs and their families?

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Source: Houses of the Oireachtas. Licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). The Official Report is revised after first publication; the fetch timestamp below identifies the version quoted.

Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-09-29/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-10-05T01:00:59+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-09-29