Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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6. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the way he can improve the provision of special needs services to post-primary students who require them; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32258/13]

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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20. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills when the working group to review special education will report; the key priorities the group is addressing; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32254/13]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 6 and 20 together.

The NCSE recently published its policy advice on supporting children with special educational needs. This report makes a number of recommendations as to how students with special needs, including post-primary students, might best be supported in the future. My Department is currently considering the full range of the 28 recommendations.

The NCSE has recommended that a new model should be developed for allocating special needs teaching resources to mainstream schools to ensure that such resources are targeted at those children who need them most.

I have requested the NCSE to establish immediately a working group to develop a proposal for consideration in regard to the new allocation model. Mr. Eamon Stack, Chairperson of the NCSE and former chief inspector in my Department, has been appointed to chair the working group. The group, which will include parents, will begin its work immediately and will report progress on the proposed new model by the end of September. The NCSE expects to complete its work by February 2015.

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal North East, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister for his reply. My party has welcomed that report. We believe massive progress has been made on special education in the past 15 years in particular. An examination of the way we allocate resources is very important but it is crucial that we ensure it does not lead to any reduction in the resources and money provided nor any reduction of the services to students who need them. I am aware there was much concern following the increased demand on the system this year in particular.

There has been much evidence in recent years showing increased numbers of students with special needs leaving post-primary mainstream schools for special schools. According to research, academic factors were cited as the main reason for students leaving mainstream education, with the students unable to cope with the workload and the lack of support available to deal with emotional and behavioural problems. We have yet to see the same revolution that is taking place in special needs education at primary level happen at second level to the same extent.

What timeline does the Minister have in place for that report? Does he envisage it will be a report that will address the issue of improving the delivery of special education at second level? There is to be a preliminary report from the chairperson of the review, Eamon Stack, in September but when does the Minister expect the final report and what timeline does he expect following that for any potential change which may emanate from that?

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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The first deadline, so to speak, in the system is the end of September this year. I hope the conclusions of that interim report will put us in a better place with regard to giving the Deputy an accurate forecast as to when the complete report would be ready. As I said in my formal reply, the NCSE advise me that it will be early in 2015. That is a long way away and I would like to see changes begin to happen sooner but I am not in a position to anticipate what those changes would be until I get the interim report at the end of September this year.

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal North East, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister for that reply. It leaves a lot to be desired in terms of ensuring smooth transition from primary level to secondary level. Has the Minister undertaken any initiatives or any policy change he is working on, apart from the overall review the National Council for Special Education has been tasked with, to try to enhance the smooth switch-over from primary to secondary level for the students affected?

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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As the Deputy is aware, this is a complex area. The existing model of allocation of resources and the way the system is functioning is effectively 20 years old, and much has happened in the areas of research and experience in similar administrations across the world. I asked the NCSE over a year ago to examine the allocation model we have discussed. I got a report in the middle of May, and I welcome the Deputy's party's support for its broad thrust, but it contains 28 recommendations which have major implications in terms of how best they should be implemented and the best model of allocation of resources.

There is also the question of considering outcomes as distinct from inputs in order to see whether the model is working in the way we want it to work and whether we are ensuring that youngsters in their mid-teens are developing the skill sets they require in order to continue in the mainstream system. All of these are specialist matters and I am not qualified to provide a professional opinion on them. We must depend on people examining best practice in other countries and, given the circumstances in which we find ourselves, recommending what we might do. Other than what I said with regard to what will happen in September, I am not in a position to provide any more definite information.