Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)

I thank Deputies Michael D. Higgins and McHugh for raising this matter.

An objective of the Department of Education and Science is to provide a national visiting teacher service for hearing impaired students. This service is available from pre-school to third level. The national caseload is monitored and managed by the Department on an annual basis and a best fit of resources to needs is achieved to the extent possible. Since 2004 the Department has engaged in a recruitment campaign nationally to ensure that hearing impaired students in every county have access to a suitably qualified visiting teacher. The visiting teacher service is managed within the directorate of regional services of the Department. Currently, there are 27 visiting teachers for the hearing impaired in post, with two vacancies.

I assure the Deputies that the visiting teacher service in the Galway area has never been suspended by the Department of Education and Science. The post of visiting teacher for the hearing impaired for Galway city and county was filled in 2005. The teacher appointed opted to transfer to Dublin in 2006. In 2006, the Department offered the post in Galway to a candidate who subsequently declined to take it up. The directorate of regional services is now in the process of preparing to recruit two visiting teachers for the wider Galway city and county area and adjacent counties, and advertisements to this effect are being prepared for the national and international press.

In addition, for the first time, an advertisement will be placed with a source in the United Kingdom dedicated to recruitment of professionals in the education of hearing impaired children. On foot of this competition, it is intended that successful candidates will take up post in September of this year and parents and the relevant schools will be duly notified.

In the meantime, my Department, through its western regional office, has continued to provide priority cover at all times in Galway through the visiting teacher service in neighbouring counties.

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