Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 110: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the extent to which it is intended to improve the pupil-teacher ratio in the classroom over the next three years; the extent to which special needs, psychological assessments and speech therapy requests are expected to be met over this period; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37044/09]

John Moloney (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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The revised programme for Government commits the Government to no further increase in the pupil-teacher ratio in primary and second level schools for the lifetime of the Government. Under the revised programme, we will provide 500 teaching posts between primary and second levels over the next three years. These posts will be allocated to the schools that are most seriously affected by the recent increase in the pupil-teacher ratio, using objective criteria which will be agreed in advance in consultation with the education partners.

I wish to assure the Deputy that the provision of appropriate educational intervention and supports for children with special educational needs continues to be a key Government priority. The Deputy will be aware of my commitment to ensuring that all pupils, including those with special educational needs, can have access to an education appropriate to their needs, preferably in school settings through the primary and post-primary school network.

The Deputy will also be aware that there has been unprecedented investment in providing supports for pupils with special needs in recent years. There are now approximately 19,000 adults in our schools working solely with pupils with special needs. This includes over 10,000 special needs assistants, SNAs, compared to just 300 in 1997. There are over 8,000 resource and learning support teachers in our schools compared to just 2,000 in 1998. Over 1,000 other teachers support pupils in our special schools. Significant investment has also taken place for pupils with special needs in the provision of transport, specialist school accommodation, home tuition, assistive technology and equipment. Additional teaching and SNA supports will continue to be allocated as necessary by the National Council for Special Education in line with my Department's policy to support children with special educational needs.

In the 2009 budget, additional funding of €10 million was allocated to the Health Service Executive for 125 additional therapy posts in disability and mental health services. Some €7.2 million of this funding will provide for 90 additional therapy posts in the disability services area. These posts will be targeted at children of school-going age and will include speech and language therapists, occupational therapists, physiotherapists and psychologists.

Ulick Burke (Galway East, Fine Gael)
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In the context of the revised programme for Government, what is the breakdown, for each of the three years involved, between primary and second level in regard to the allocation of the proposed 500 extra teachers?

With regard to the pupil-teacher ratio, every national school I know of in east Galway has an increased ratio and larger class sizes, some as large as 35 which had just 24 pupils last year, due to the loss of teachers. This can be merely because they were one student under the required number, which is totally unfair to the schools involved.

With regard to the psychological service, I wish to refer to the comments of a teaching principal who wrote to me in recent weeks. He stated:

The NEPS service is terrible. Last week I tried to get through to the Galway office. There was no one there to answer the phone and it would not be manned until 12 October. I was told to phone the Dublin office. There was no answer there and the phone message box was full.

The letter ended by stating the process was a frustrating waste of time. Will the Minister of State comment?

John Moloney (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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I am pleased to offer good news in this regard by way of the revised programme of Government which clearly sets out increased funding in the region of €30 million for an additional 500 teaching posts. However, we must remember that the revised programme was agreed less than two weeks ago. Nobody could expect the precise details regarding the division of teachers as between primary and secondary level and so on to be already agreed.

The Deputy's criticism of NEPS is not reflective of the feedback we are receiving throughout the State. If the Deputy has concerns regarding a particular case, I will be more than glad to discuss it with him. However, it is not representative of what I am hearing in general.

Brian Hayes (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)
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To clarify, my understanding is that there is to be an equal division of the 500 additional posts between the primary and post-primary sectors. In other words, if 150 posts are created each year for the next three years, 75 will be at primary level and 75 at secondary level. Is the Minister of State saying there has been no such agreement as yet?

John Moloney (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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Absolutely.

Brian Hayes (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)
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On a recent television programme, the chairman of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Education and Science, Deputy Gogarty, claimed that in the course of the final day of his party's exhaustive negotiations with the Minister of State's party, the latter was offering 300 additional teaching posts at 1 p.m. before increasing that offer at 5 p.m., when the pressure was on, to 500 posts. Will the Minister of State comment on that?

John Moloney (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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I was not one of the senior Ministers who took part in those negotiations. All I can say is that all successful negotiations take considerable time to conclude. It will take senior departmental officials some time to analyse the situation in schools throughout the State in order to meet the requirements regarding pupil-teacher ratios. However, Deputy Hayes can rest assured that the figure remains at 500.