Michael McCarthy (Cork South West, Labour)
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I thank the Ceann Comhairle for allowing me to raise this issue that came to light last week. It is a perfect example of a topical issue.

The Minister of State will be aware due to his own situation in Galway and his position in the Department of the emotive nature of SNA provision. Every case is exceptional but because of the unique circumstances surrounding the Maria Immaculata community college in Dunmanway, it is particularly exceptional because there is a designated special unit in the school and, as a result, there are special classes. I am sure the Minister of State will say in his reply that there are SNAs in the mainstream as well but we must bear in mind in this case that there will be 17 pupils in a special class in this school from September.

The Minister of State will know that the National Council for Special Education announced last week the resource teaching and SNA posts for the 2012-13 school year. There is considerable merit that there has been no change in the overall level of resources for allocation to schools but I wish to bring to his attention the particular case of MICC in Dunmanway. Last week the college was informed it would lose four SNAs in September, with numbers falling from 15 to 11. This is a disturbing and distressing move for the parents of children in the special classes. It is an exceptional case in my view. The number of special needs children will increase by two in September but the overall SNA allocation will decrease by four. That is particularly difficult to comprehend when we consider the overall level of SNAs in the system will remain the same for the 2012-13 academic year as for the 2011-12 academic year.

MICC is home to a designated special needs unit, which is growing by two, making it one of the biggest groups of its kind in the Munster region. Disabilities in the unit are complex and wide-ranging. Some pupils have incontinence issues and sensory difficulties and need assistance with basic living skills, such as eating or going to the bathroom. The prospect of having to share various SNAs throughout the day is untenable for certain pupils because their needs are so multifaceted. I have been in regular contact with the parents and teaching staff of MICC since news of the SNA reduction first reached them last week. What has clearly been communicated to me is that stability and consistency in the support they receive are key for all of the pupils. Nurturing and developing stable and consistent relationships between pupils and their SNAs can take years, as it takes time for pupils to settle into a routine, adapt to a system and get used to an SNA, but this is set to be undermined, with many pupils moving from having their own SNA to merely having access to one.

There is also a tangible fear among parents that special educational needs organisers, SENOs, are overriding the views of psychologists and disregarding psychological assessment reports that recommend a certain level of SNA provision for a child. They are particularly worried about the ruling that psychologists should not make specific recommendations. I sincerely hope that is not the case and I have every faith that SENOs will take into serious consideration the assessments provided for them and the interaction between psychologists and SNAs. It is worth bearing this issue in mind in the debate.

I have spoken to an official in the National Council for Special Education, NCSE, about the case at MICC and in the next few weeks I intend to have a face to face meeting with the local SENO, with whom I hope to interact on the rationale and logic behind the decision. What I find most difficult about the issue is the process involved in arriving at a conclusion such as this. I acknowledge the fact that the overall SNA allocation will be the same in 2012-13 as this year. That is important when one considers that the Government is borrowing €1.25 billion a month to fund essential public services before it ever goes near the banking debt. Many cases will rightly be made to Ministers and the Government to retain services in various areas, but this is one area in which every effort should be made to retain the level of service provided. I ask the Minister of State to be cognisant of this.

Ciarán Cannon (Galway East, Fine Gael)
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I am taking this issue on behalf of my colleague, the Minister for Education and Skills. I thank the Deputy for raising it, as it gives me an opportunity to clarify to the House the position on the allocation of SNAs for the coming year.

The Government, as the Deputy confirmed, has maintained funding for resources for children with special educational needs at a time when there is a continued requirement to make expenditure savings across a number of other areas. We are providing 10,575 SNA posts for allocation to schools for the 2012-13 school year. As the Deputy acknowledged, this is the same number of posts available for allocation for the current year. There has been no reduction in the overall number of SNA posts available in the coming school year. It is considered that, with prudent management of these resources, there will be sufficient posts to provide access to SNA support for all children who require such care support to attend school, in accordance with my Department's criteria.

The NCSE is responsible, through its network of local SENOs, for allocating SNAs to schools to support children with special educational needs. The council operates within my Department's criteria in allocating such support which now includes a requirement for them to have regard to the overall cap on numbers. Schools had been advised to make applications to the NCSE for SNA support for the 2012-13 school year by 16 March 2012 and they are being notified of their allocations based on the number of valid applications received and the extent of the care needs of qualifying children. In determining the level of SNA support allocated to a school the NCSE takes into account the individual care needs of all qualifying children, supports freed up owing to school leavers and the identified care needs of newly enrolled children with special educational needs.

It is important to note that a school's allocation of SNA support may alter from year to year as pupils enrol or leave or where a child's care needs have diminished over time. As there have been no reductions in the overall number of SNAs available for allocation in the coming school year, no school will lose SNAs because of cuts. Changes to the allocation of SNAs to a school, therefore, will arise because either the number of qualifying children has changed owing to pupils enrolling or leaving a school or because the assessed needs of the qualifying children have changed, for example, where pupils may have developed increased independence. In a small number of cases schools may have had surplus SNAs who were not removed when children left school or needs changed. In such cases the NCSE will adjust the allocation to the schools to reflect the needs of the children enrolled.

The NCSE has confirmed that the SNA allocation for the school in question for the 2012-13 academic year reflects the level of care needs identified in the qualifying applications and represents a sufficient level of support to cater for the care needs of all qualifying children for the coming school year. I understand the NCSE has been in contact with the Deputy in recent days to clarify the position in this regard.

Michael McCarthy (Cork South West, Labour)
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I have been in contact with the council. I am deeply uncomfortable with the fact that while the system has retained the overall number of SNAs, the number allocated to MICC will reduce from 15 to 11. We can use whatever statistics and information are available, but it is inescapable that the number will reduce from 15 to 11, despite the Minister of State saying, "As there have been no reductions in the overall number of SNAs available for allocation in the coming school year, no school will lose SNAs because of cuts." I am having great difficulty understanding the absence of logic in arriving at the decision relating to MICC.

The Minister of State at the Department of Health and Children, Deputy Kathleen Lynch, has ring-fenced, albeit through the health budget, €40 million for adults with intellectual disabilities and makes the point consistently that resources should follow the individual. Nobody has a difficulty with this. It is positive that the school system has retained the overall number of SNAs when it stands to reason that demand will increase, but it is difficult for parents of pupils at MICC to head into the summer knowing that their SNA allocation will reduce from 15 to 11, while the overall number has been retained. This is an exceptional case because there is a special unit in the school.

I welcome the NCSE's confirmation that it is developing an appeals process which is expected to be finalised in late August. I appeal to the Minister of State and the Government to consider a robust appeals system that will take into account the exceptional case that undoubtedly can be made for this school. This is a special, not a mainstream, class with special needs children. God knows, any of us would go through fire and water for them as parents.

Ciarán Cannon (Galway East, Fine Gael)
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I apologise if my reply was not clear, but I reiterate that no SNAs will be lost owing to budgetary cuts. The same SNA provision will be made next year as in previous years. Changes to the SNA allocation in a school relate to the evolving care needs of its pupils. For example, children may have diminishing care needs over time or a number of children will leave school at the end of each academic year and the school population may change over time. I am aware of a number of parents who are happy that their child no longer needs an SNA in a school setting. Assessment of service is ongoing to ensure children who genuinely need SNA support are getting it and those who have reached a point where they do not need such support no longer receive it in order that resources can be allocated where they are badly needed. It is not in the interests of a child for the NCSE to leave an SNA in place where he or she has achieved greater independence because this can impact negatively on his or her development.

We trust, as we should, the NCSE to make these decisions on the care needs of children. We will be in a difficult place if we seek to somehow usurp or undermine that expertise. I have no problem engaging further with the Deputy in an effort to address his valid concerns and perhaps provide a more detailed response for him on the decision taken regarding the school in question. It is important to stress, however, that SNAs are not removed because of budgetary reductions; they are removed because the care needs of children within schools are evolving.