Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)

I understand the Deputy's interest and his genuine concern, which I share in respect of all children with special needs. There are currently 56 pupils enrolled in the school, of whom three pupils have been allowed to attend only on a partial or limited basis by the school management and board, pending a review by the NCSE of SNA allocation levels. The school is seeking to have that level increased and the NCSE is considering it. The school has 56 pupils with special needs and there are ten teachers, 20 full-time SNAs and one part-time SNA. An SNA is not necessarily assigned full time to a particular pupil. They are not personal assistants; they help in certain areas.

The NCSE has received a request from that school, which has stated that these are highly dependent children, as the Deputy has indicated, and it is up to the NCSE to decide professionally if an extra SNA support is necessary. We have the capacity to allocate that from the 10% kept back in May and June. I do not know when the review by the NCSE will be completed, but on foot of what the Deputy has raised, I will try to ensure this is accelerated as quickly as possible.

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