In response to a worryingly high level of parents contacting him about the lack of school places for their children with special needs, Deputy Gino Kenny has made it a priority to do all that he can to address “this completely unacceptable situation”.

Deputy Kenny said: “These children and their families are being treated appallingly by the state. It is completely unacceptable that so many children in my Dublin Mid-West constituency are being denied a proper education and remain effectively locked-out of school.

“The situation in my area reflects a broken system that sees hundreds of special needs children across the state left without appropriate school places. The stress and anxiety this is causing the children and their families cannot be overstated.

“I have submitted a range of Parliamentary Questions to the Minister for Education on the matter and I am calling for immediate action to be taken to ensure that no child with special needs is discriminated against in terms of their education. In addition, I echo the demand of SNAs to have their work and education qualifications appropriately acknowledged in recognition of the immense contribution they make in this area.

“I will be meeting with a number of affected constituents shortly and will work alongside them to campaign vociferously for their children’s urgent right to an inclusive and non-discriminatory education,” added Deputy Kenny