Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

No. I would not agree with any such concerns being expressed. It has been a core goal of our Action Plan for Education that every child will have an equal opportunity to fulfil their potential in school. That has had strong legislative support from the Oireachtas when as far back as 2004 we passed the Education of Persons with Special Educational Needs Act, which set out the inclusive approach to education of children with special educational needs. The consequence of that is that we have had an enormous growth in both resource teaching and special needs assistants, SNAs, and that has a knock-on effect. The number of SNAs is currently 13,990, which represents an increase of 32% since 2011. There are over 34,000 children receiving the support of SNAs. That figure is up dramatically in that same period, more or less proportionately. Almost 60% of those children are supported in mainstream schools, 20% in special classes and the remainder in special schools. It is provided to ensure that all pupils have the care needs to allow them participate in education. It has resulted in a dramatic improvement in the completion of children with special needs in school so we are seeing children with special needs getting to fulfil their potential in the school.

The allocation is done entirely independently by the National Council for Special Education, NCSE. It assesses objectively the needs of each child and decides against criteria where they are allocated.

The NCSE is carrying out a comprehensive assessment of the SNA scheme aimed at providing better outcomes for students and ensuring we are making the best additional investment for children with special educational needs. The Government is committed to ensuring the best possible results for children and students in this area. This process is the best way to deliver that. I have therefore asked the NCSE to conduct a comprehensive review of the SNA scheme and this review is due to be completed early next year.

See this speech in context