Speaking after raising the matter of the floor of the Dáil with Minister Josepha Madigan, Teachta
Browne said:
“Parents in Carrick On Suir are rightly unhappy with the attitude that the Department of Education
has shown towards the campaign to have an ASD unit established in Carrick on Suir.
“Following the decision to refuse an application for one such unit in the town last week, I questioned
Minister Josepha Madigan on the reasons for this decision.
“Unfortunately, it appears that the Department is still wedded to the idea of forcing children to
travel outside of area, even though parents have reported that they have received no guarantees
that their children will be able to secure places in communities outside of Co Tipperary.
“While the minister was able to outline the progress that has been made in setting up special classes
in general, her claims contradicted the experiences of parents in Carrick on Suir who have tried to
secure places in these settings for their children.
“She also failed to address my question over the continuing vacancy for a SENO (Special Educational
Needs Organiser) in South Tipperary.
“We have the biggest inland county in Ireland, yet neither the Minister nor the Department seem to
treat it in that way.
“I have consistently called for Carrick on Suir to be put on the radars of a number of Ministers, and I
will not apologise for continuing to do this.”
