Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)

The Deputy will be aware that the National Council for Special Education, NCSE, is responsible through its network of local special educational needs organisers for allocating special needs assistants, SNAs, to schools to support children with special educational needs. Some 10,297 of the total 10,575 SNA posts available for allocation have now been allocated to schools by the NCSE, leaving 278 posts available for allocation between now and the end of the school year for cases such as emergencies, acquired injuries or new school entrants with care needs. SNA posts are allocated to schools to provide for the care needs of pupils with special educational needs in accordance with the criteria set out in my Department's circular 07/02 and NCSE circular 01/02/2011. The NCSE has the capacity to continue to make allocations in respect of valid applications arising before the end of the school year.

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