Josepha Madigan (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Senator asked for number of SNAs. Since 2011, there has been an increase of 81% in the number of SNAs. By the end of the year we will have 19,169. There are 15 special classes in Galway and five in Roscommon. I have figures from 31 May. We have 11,174.79 SNAs in mainstream education, 4,613.92 in special classes and 2,775 in special schools. This gives an indication of how they are spread out among the various types of placements that we have.

We know what the minimum qualifications are. People must have at least a pass in mathematics, Irish and English at junior certificate or equivalent. This has not taken away from the calibre of the SNAs we have. It is important to point this out. The Senator mentioned the training programme. The main training programme is in UCD. We have invested €2.54 million in it and 3,500 people will be trained. There are six modules covering inclusive education for children, language, communication, autism, dealing with medical and complex needs, promoting positive behaviour and self-regulation. There is also the professional development of the SNAs themselves. We have promoted it primarily through the NCSE programme teams and social media. We have a four-year contract with UCD. It is the start of what we can do in this area.