Finian McGrath (Dublin North Central, Independent)
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Question 198: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he will clarify the current situation regarding special needs assistants. [17484/11]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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I wish to advise the Deputy that the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) is responsible, through its network of local Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs) for allocating resource teachers and Special Needs Assistants to schools to support children with special educational needs. The NCSE operates within my Department's criteria in allocating such support. This now includes a requirement for the NCSE to have regard to an overall cap on the number of SNA posts.

This number is 10,575 whole time equivalent (WTE) posts. This is a significant number of posts and unlike other areas of the public sector vacancies are being filled up to this number. It also represents continual increases in the number of SNAs over recent years.

It is considered that with equitable and careful management and distribution of these resources that there should be sufficient posts to provide access to SNA support for all children who require such care support to attend school, in accordance with Departmental criteria.

The NCSE has issued a circular to all schools advising of the allocation process for the 2011/2012 school year. A key feature of the amended scheme will be to provide for an annual allocation of Special Needs Assistant support to eligible schools. The NCSE asked schools to submit all applications for SNA support to them by 18th March, 2011 and intend to inform schools of their annual SNA allocation as soon as possible, in advance of the coming school year.

Finian McGrath (Dublin North Central, Independent)
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Question 199: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the position regarding special needs assistants in respect of a person (details supplied) in Dublin 3. [17485/11]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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I wish to advise the Deputy that the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) is responsible, through its network of local Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs) for allocating resource teachers and Special Needs Assistants (SNAs) to schools to support children with special educational needs. The NCSE operates within my Department's criteria in allocating such support. This now includes a requirement for the NCSE to have regard to an overall cap on the number of SNA posts.

The NCSE has issued a circular to all schools advising of the allocation process for the 2011/2012 school year. A key feature of the amended scheme will be to provide for an annual allocation of Special Needs Assistant support to eligible schools.

The NCSE asked schools to submit all applications for SNA support to them by 18th March, 2011 and are currently in the process of informing schools of their annual SNA allocation for the coming school year.

Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein)
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Question 200: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the training in the assessment of children with special needs that special education needs officers have received to enable them to determine if a post-primary pupil requires a special needs assistant. [17489/11]

Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein)
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Question 201: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the training in the evaluation and appraisal of post-primary teacher's classroom management skills and practice that special education needs officers, SENOs, have received. [17490/11]

Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein)
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Question 202: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the circumstances in which a special education needs officers may over-rule a specific and explicit recommendation by a consultant child psychiatrist that a pupil being treated by him should have access to a special needs assistant. [17491/11]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 200, 201 and 202 together.

I wish to advise the Deputy that the National Council for Special Education (NCSE), which was established under the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs Act, 2004 (EPSEN Act) has responsibility for processing resource applications for children with disabilities who have special educational needs through its regional Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs). The NCSE also responsibility for planning and co-ordinating the provision of education and support services for students with special educational needs, in accordance with DES policy. The NCSE operates within my Department's criteria in allocating supports which now includes a a requirement for the NCSE to have regard to an overall cap on the number of SNA posts.

The responsibility for deciding on the quantum of educational resources to be allocated to pupils with special educational needs resides with the NCSE through the SENO. The consideration of professional reports is an integral part of determining the extent of supports to be provided for pupils with special educational needs. The NCSE has outlined the processes involved in the consideration of applications for special needs supports in its Circular 01/05 which is available on www.ncse.ie.

The co-operation and co-ordination of the education and health sectors is critical in the planning and delivery of services to children with special educational needs. The NCSE circular 03/08, which is also available on www.ncse.ie, clarifies the respective roles and functions of the NCSE and the HSE and their respective personnel in carrying out assessments of and sanctioning resources to support children with special educational needs.

Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein)
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Question 203: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if special needs assistants are specifically designated for the assistance of named pupils or may a school deploy them across a group of students. [17492/11]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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I wish to advise the Deputy that the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) is responsible, through its network of local Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs) for allocating resource teachers and Special Needs Assistants (SNAs) to schools to support children with special educational needs. The NCSE operates within my Department's criteria in allocating such support. This now includes a requirement for the NCSE to have regard to an overall cap on the number of SNA posts.

The qualifying criteria for the allocation of Special Needs Assistant (SNA) support is outlined in my Department's Circular 07/02. The recruitment and deployment of SNAs within schools are matters for the individual Principal/Board of Management. SNAs should be deployed by the school in a manner which best meets the care support requirements of the children enrolled in the school for whom SNA support has been allocated. It is a matter for schools to allocate support as required, and on the basis of individual need, which allows schools flexibility in how the SNA support is utilised.