John Moloney (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)

-----assist parents who are experiencing difficulty in securing a school place for their child. I take the point the Deputy raised.

At present, the Department funds over 8,600 whole-time equivalent learning support-resource teacher posts, over 10,000 whole-time equivalent special needs assistant posts and over 1,000 teachers in special schools.

Requests for support or assistance for children with special educational needs are made by schools directly to the National Council for Special Education which is responsible, through its network of local special educational needs organisers, for allocating resource teachers and special needs assistants to schools to support children with special needs. The council operates within the Department's criteria in allocating such support. Parents may also contact their local special needs assistant directly to discuss their child's special educational needs.

In addition, enhanced capitation funding is paid to special schools and in respect of special classes in mainstream schools. The Department also provides over €50 million annually for special school transport arrangements. To further support the inclusion of children with special needs, all new school buildings and extensions are designed to enable access for all.

The Deputy's point about placements beginning at the end of August makes sense. I will bring the matter up with the Minister in the morning and respond to the Deputy as early as I can in the next two weeks.

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