Jim Daly (Cork South West, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 142: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of special needs assistant posts which have been cut as from the commencement of the current school term; if this number is greater than 475 posts that are being held unfilled to allow for emergencies; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28497/11]

Jim Daly (Cork South West, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 143: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of filled special needs assistant posts at present; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28498/11]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context

I propose to take Questions Nos. 142 and 143 together.

The Deputy will be aware that 10,575 whole time equivalent (WTE) posts are being provided for SNA support for 2011. This is a significant number of posts and unlike other areas of the public sector, which are subject to a recruitment moratorium, vacancies may be filled up to this number. At June 2011, there were 10,802 posts in place, which was 227 over the cap to be reached by the end of 2011.

This situation arose when the 13 centres that had been funded in the ABA pilot scheme applied for and were granted official recognition as special schools for children with autism. Staff working in the centres who accepted posts as SNAs in these schools have had to be counted within the overall limits for SNA posts and their recategorisation has impacted on the overall numbers in the context of managing the aforementioned cap on SNA posts.

Approximately 10,100 whole time equivalent SNA posts have been allocated to date for the current school year. The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) has advised all mainstream schools of their Special Needs Assistant (SNA) allocations for the 2011/12 school year. SNA provision in special schools is currently being reviewed. 475 posts were held back from the initial allocation in September 2011 in order to allocate them over the coming school year in cases such as emergency, appeals, acquired injuries or new school entrants with special needs care.

The NCSE has recently published statistical information in relation to the allocation of Special Needs Assistant posts and resource teaching hours to Primary Special and Post Primary Schools. The information is provided on a county by county and school by school basis on its website at www.ncse.ie. The NCSE expects to respond to emergency cases on hand within the coming weeks. The outcome of a review of special school SNA allocations is expected early in the school year. Other demands from mainstream schools will be responded to up to the end of the school year. Through these arrangements it is expected that the majority of the SNA posts which have yet to be allocated, will have been allocated by early in 2012.