Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein)
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Question 2: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if it is his intention to continue with the cap on special needs assistants for September 2011 leaving new entrants and newly diagnosed children with special needs without SNA support in mainstream classrooms; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5642/11]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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The programme for Government clearly states that education will be a priority for this Government and that we will endeavour to protect and enhance the educational experience of children, young people and students. To this end, we will endeavour to protect front line services in education. However, the fiscal position is difficult and the country is effectively in receivership. It is necessary to ensure that educational services are delivered within the resources available. While I intend to prioritise and support special educational services, I cannot revisit the previous Government's decision to place a cap on the number of posts available under the SNA scheme. This number is 10,575 whole-time equivalent posts. It is a significant number and, unlike other areas of the public sector, vacancies are being filled up to this number. It also represents continual increases in the number of SNAs in recent years. It is considered that, with equitable and careful management and distribution of these resources, there should be sufficient posts to provide access to SNA support for all children who require such care support to attend school in accordance with departmental criteria.

The National Council for Special Education, NCSE, is responsible, through its network of local special educational needs organisers, SENOs, for allocating resource teachers and SNAs to schools to support children with special educational needs. The NCSE operates within my Department's criteria in allocating such support. The NCSE has issued a circular to all schools advising of the allocation process for the 2011-2012 school year. A key feature of the amended scheme will be to provide for an annual allocation of SNA support to eligible schools.

My Department and I will be glad to consider suggestions from school managements or parent representative organisations as to how the allocation of SNA resources can best be managed within the context of the established overall limit on SNA numbers. In this regard, I am committed to making whatever improvements are possible to the resource allocation system, but we must understand the legacy of economic mismanagement that the last Government gave to this country.

Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein)
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Ba mhaith liom fáilte a chur roimh an Aire nua agus tá súil agam go mbeidh córas oideachais níos fearr againn. I listened to the Minister's reply carefully. I hope he will show some flexibility in this matter. The difficulty for schools and parents is the arbitrary deadline of 18 March for awarding SNAs. Leaving children who have real needs without the necessary supports is a travesty. Does the Minister agree that the deadline is an arbitrary, misinformed and sneaky method, one that treats enrolments as stopping in mid-air in March when they actually continue until September?

The potential loss of SNAs will see many children falling further behind and a danger of increased levels of suspension and exclusion. Does the Minister accept that the parents of children who are most in need of SNA supports are often the least able to access services? Earlier I received a call from a young mother from my constituency regarding her six-year old child who has a mental age of two. She is trying to get the child into a local school and the immediate problem she faces relates to SNA provision. It is a nightmare for schools but it is a bigger nightmare for parents.

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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I thank the Deputy for his good wishes. I recognise the extraordinary burden that falls on the shoulders of parents who have children with special needs whom they love dearly. I welcome suggestions from school boards of management and parents associations that deal with young people in this category on how best resources can be allocated. The numbers are fixed. The sooner we can get information into the system in order that management can plan for SNA provision in schools, the better. I am open to, and I invite, suggestions that can improve on what the Deputy describes as "the arbitrary date of 18 March".

Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein)
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This will inevitably lead to competition, which would be unseemly in the context of children who need this support. Schools will have to decide on which children will receive supports and so on. The difficulty is there is no flexibility between March and September. How can a school plan? What will happen is those children will not be enrolled.

Jack Wall (Kildare South, Labour)
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A question please.

Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein)
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The Minister needs to think again. He said the decision has been made on the basis of available funding but does he not agree that many of the SNAs earn less than €12 an hour? Surely if the Government makes cuts, it should look somewhere else.

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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There has to be a lead in time to prepare for the start of the academic year in September. That is required for consultation, advice and other processes in order that children with special needs are identified and SNAs are matched to them. The date is 18 March but I am prepared to examine this to see if it can be pushed out. I am not fully aware of the constraints but I will consult with those involved, including the NSCE, to make sure we match the school starting date for a child with special needs with an SNA. That requires time and I do not know whether that can be pushed beyond 18 March.