Batt O'Keeffe (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)

This is an emotive issue that should be above politics. Of my budget of €9 billion, €1.2 billion is spent on special needs. The Government takes the matter seriously.

I will elucidate the facts concerning the school in question. It is a special school with 39 pupils on its roll and 24 staff comprising an administrative principal, six teachers, four part-time teachers and 13 SNAs. The NESC has completed its review and will inform the school officially today. From my notes, I understand that the number of SNAs will drop from 13 to ten.

The ratio between the school's staffing levels and its number of children is approximately 6.5:1. St. Anthony's is a mild general learning disability school. It is understood that up to ten of its children have autism. Were a special autism unit established in the school, the staffing level would be one teacher and two SNAs and the pupil-teacher ratio would be 5:1 or 6:1.

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