Michael Finneran (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fianna Fail)

I am taking this Adjournment matter on behalf of the Minister for Education and Science, Deputy Batt O'Keeffe, who cannot be here. I thank the Deputy for raising this matter as it provides me with the opportunity to clarify the current situation in regard to the range of support structures available where, for a variety of reasons, assistance is required in securing a school placement.

Section 29 of the Education Act 1998 provides for an appeals procedure whereby a student who has been permanently excluded, suspended or refused enrolment from a school may appeal that decision to the Secretary General of the Department of Education and Science and that appeal shall be heard by a committee. The parents of the student in question, with the support of the National Education Welfare Board, NEWB, lodged such an appeal, and the hearing was held last Friday, 20 June 2008. Under the legislation, appeals are dealt with within a period of 30 days from the date of their receipt by the Secretary General. I am advised that in this case, the outcome will be known in approximately three weeks' time.

The home tuition scheme provides funding to facilitate the provision of education at home for children who for various reasons, such as chronic illness, are unable to attend school. The scheme was extended in recent years to facilitate tuition for children awaiting an educational placement. An allocation under this scheme has been made in respect of the child in question and this will continue until he is suitably placed.

A range of support structures is available where, for a variety of reasons, assistance is required in securing a school placement. One of these structures is the National Council for Special Education, NCSE, which 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 needs. SENOs operate within the policy outlined in the Department of Education and Science circular for allocating such support. School authorities typically liaise directly with SENOs in regard to their needs for such classes. Parents may also contact their local SENO directly to discuss their child's special educational needs, using the contact details available on www.ncse.ie.

The Education (Welfare) Act 2000 established the NEWB as the national body with responsibility for school attendance. The Act provides a comprehensive framework for promoting regular school attendance and tackling the problems of absenteeism and early school leaving. The general functions of the board are to ensure that each child attends a recognised school or otherwise receives a certain minimum education.

Educational welfare officers are appointed and deployed throughout the country to discharge the board's functions locally. They employ a welfare orientated approach in the interests of children and young people who do not attend school regularly, working collaboratively with schools and other agencies in meeting their needs. The NEWB will continue actively to support the parents of the child referred to by the Deputy in finding a suitable school for their son. When a placement is secured, the NCSE will resource appropriately.

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