Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)

The number of posts available in this school year under the special needs assistant, SNA, scheme is capped at 10,575 under the employment control framework, as set out in the programme for national recovery and signed up to under the memorandum of understanding with the troika.

In September 2011 the NCSE allocated 10,100 posts to schools while retaining 475 posts to cover late and emergency applications. This measure ensured there would be sufficient posts to support all children who required such support in line with departmental criteria. By March 2012 the NCSE had allocated 10,299 whole-time equivalent posts to schools, leaving 276 posts available for allocation up to the end of the school year.

The number of SNAs employed by schools at any given time is usually less than the number of posts allocated at that time by the NCSE. Accordingly, the number of SNAs employed by schools was 10,014 at the end of September 2011, 10,117 at the end of December 2011 and 10,240 and at the end of March 2012.

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