Charlie McConalogue (Donegal North East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Teachers' pay is covered by subheads A3 to A5. An increased number of teachers will be required from next September. I presume they are factored into that. What will be the cost of the additional 900 teachers required from September? If the Minister were also to increase the number of special needs assistant posts and learning support posts proportionately to cater for the increased demographics, has the Department assessed what the likely cost of that might be? I realise it is difficult to project that because one cannot be sure how many will be in the system given that it is new intake but, based on trends from other years, can he give an estimate of what the increased demand might be under the current system?

The Minister is establishing a new board to consider reforming the way special needs supports are provided. However, if the Minister were to take the same approach to special needs and learning supports as he is taking to the general pupil-teacher ratio by increasing the number of teachers proportionately to the likely increased demand, what might be the additional cost for learning supports on top of the cost he will incur with the increased hiring of teachers?