Batt O'Keeffe (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)

The Government recognised many years ago that education for children with special educational needs could only be delivered through consistent and ongoing multi-annual investment in teachers, special needs assistants, SNAs, assistive technology, specialist equipment, adapted school buildings and special school transport arrangements. We have also recognised the professionals who teach children with special educational needs may need guidance and support. They certainly require training and professional guidance.

We have done more than merely recognise these challenges. In the past ten years the Government has prioritised investment and delivered a full range of supports for schools and students. We now spend over €1 billion in this area of education alone. That figure represents one ninth of my Department's entire budget. There are over 8,600 resource and learning support teachers and over 10,000 SNAs in our schools. In conjunction with the teachers in special schools and special classes, there are over 20,000 adults supporting children with special educational needs.

In addition to teachers and SNAs, we have provided and will continue to provide assistive technology, specialist equipment, adapted school buildings and special school transport arrangements. Resources must be targeted at those children who require them. If resources are left in areas within the school system that are not in accordance with my Department's criteria, this means that such resources are not available for other deserving areas.

The Senators opposite made reference to the withdrawal of SNA support in schools. I will be crystal clear on this point because I want to emphasise what is really important. The SNA scheme has been a major factor in ensuring the successful integration of children with special educational needs into mainstream education and providing support for pupils enrolled in special schools and special classes. The scheme will continue to be supported. The terms and criteria for the scheme have not changed. Schools which have enrolled children who qualify for support from an SNA will continue to be allocated such support. This is happening. The National Council for Special Education, NCSE, has been processing applications from schools for SNA support all year and this will continue to be the case.

Where the criteria are met, SNA posts are being allocated. There is no question of posts being removed from schools which meet the criteria for the scheme. However, there is also no question of posts remaining in schools indefinitely, particularly in circumstances where they are deemed to be surplus to the care needs of pupils or where the relevant pupils have left. I am confident that the criteria governing the allocation of teaching and care supports enable schools to provide for children with special educational needs in both mainstream and special school settings. Senators will be aware that my Department requested the NCSE to review all SNA posts in schools. It had become clear that a number of SNA posts remained in a number of schools where the care needs of the pupils in these schools did not justify such an allocation. In some circumstances, the relevant pupil had moved on but the SNA remained in the school. My concern must be to ensure there is a consistent application of policy in the allocation of special needs supports. That is all that is happening.

As Senators are aware, the purpose of SNAs is to support the care needs of children with disabilities, not to create dependency. Therefore, a child with a disability coming into junior infants at the age of four or five years will be different from one in fourth or fifth class aged ten or 11 years. He or she will be extremely different from an 18 year old leaving school. Many children with disabilities develop independent living skills as they grow and mature.

I fully recognise that some children with disabilities will always need support in school. However, are Senators really asking the NCSE to leave SNA posts in schools where the children for whom the posts were allocated have left? Are they asking the NCSE to leave SNA posts in schools where the children's care needs have diminished? All that is being done at present is to remove posts where children have left or their care needs have diminished. I want to emphasise that we want, with the SNAs, to develop those children towards independent living. It is fair to ask whether that is what any parent would wish for their special needs child. Let me repeat that the scheme and the criteria for support have not changed. In line with previous years, the NCSE will continue to allocate SNA posts this year to schools which have enrolled pupils who meet the criteria.

Special education is a priority for the Government. Despite the ongoing economic difficulties, and in spite of competing demands for funding, the renewed programme for Government announced in October 2009 commits to further investment in the development of services for pupils with special educational needs. This is a significant achievement at a time of reduced public spending.

The renewed programme commits to the expansion of the number of psychologists employed directly by the National Educational Psychological Service, NEPS, to 210. Ultimately, this will allow for the assignment of a NEPS psychologist to every primary and post-primary school in the country with particular emphasis on special needs units, classes and special schools. There are 157 psychologists employed within the service, which is an increase of 30, from 127 psychologists at the start of the current Government's programme. In the meantime, the Government continues to ensure that all primary and post primary schools have access to psychological assessments either directly through the assigned NEPS psychologist or through the scheme for commissioning psychological assessments that is administered by NEPS and which supports the cost of assessments provided by a panel of private practitioners.

In addition, and I emphasise this point, the level of training available to teachers has improved significantly and this will continue to be built on. The establishment of the special education support service to provide expert support, professional development and training opportunities in special education for school staff has been very significant. Senators suggested that not enough teachers are being trained. Last year alone, 23,602 teachers availed of training places; that is nearly half the teachers in the country. This training is designed to ensure a quality teaching service in our schools, one that promotes inclusiveness, collaboration, and equality of access for students with special educational needs to educational opportunities. In addition, more than 300 teachers availed of places on postgraduate teacher training programmes related to special educational needs.

My Department is also enhancing the capacity of the National Council for Special Education to co-ordinate the provision of services to children with special educational needs. In the past year, the National Council for Special Education appointed 12 senior special educational needs organisers, SENOs, to co-ordinate the work of the locally based SENOs. Sanction has also been given to recruit further SENOs to improve the service the NCSE provides to schools and parents.

The Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs, EPSEN, Act was mentioned by a number of speakers and I want to outline the Government's commitment to its implementation. A significant number of sections of the EPSEN Act have been commenced, principally those establishing the NCSE and those promoting an inclusive approach to the education of children with special educational needs. The Government is committed to the full implementation of the EPSEN Act at the earliest possible date. In the interim, we are committed to developing a costed multi-annual plan, for which Senator O'Toole called, to implement priority aspects of the EPSEN Act. We will focus on measurable, practical progress in education and health services for children with special needs. This process will require consultation with the education partners as well as the Health Service Executive and the Department of Health and Children.

The Government is fully aware of the need to co-ordinate disability services for children across both departmental and agency lines. For the first time, the Government has established an office, headed by a Minister of State, which has specific responsibility for disability and mental health. An integrated approach has been adopted by the education and health sectors under the auspices of a cross-sectoral team to target additional resources to areas of greatest need. This co-ordinated approach will ensure delivery of the most effective response for children living with disability and special educational needs on a daily basis. The HSE will continue to work with funded specialist providers and in co-operation with the education sector to address the health-related needs of children with special educational needs in the context of the resources available. Progress is being kept under review by the office of the Minister of State with responsibility for disability and the cross-sectoral team.

I note that Senator Healy Eames referred to my decision to suppress a number of special classes for pupils with mild general learning disability last year. Senators are aware that, as with all teaching posts, allocations are made in line with pupil numbers. The decision to close a number of special classes was taken on the basis that enrolment numbers were insufficient to retain the special class teacher. However, I remind the Seanad that the Department did consider and review all appeals of this decision by schools.

The fact that only 49 of the 119 schools lodged an appeal is telling in itself. Some schools advised that some of the pupils enrolled in these special classes did not have mild general learning disabilities but had other disabilities so they were inappropriately placed; three classes were retained and re-designated for the new category of disability; and 11 classes were retained on appeal. In other situations, my Department advised the schools to contact the NCSE to apply for additional resource teaching hours where this was appropriate.

Senators are aware that the remaining pupils have access to the additional learning support or resource teaching service already in place in all primary schools and which is provided through the general allocation model of resource teaching support. However, let me state again that at a time of constrained resources we must ensure public resources are deployed as effectively as possible. Resources left in areas within the school system that are not in accordance with the Department's criteria mean that these resources are not available for another deserving area.

Senators made reference to my apparent - I say "apparent" - failure to publish advice from the NCSE on special needs provision. I assume they are referring to recent research relating to the role of special schools and special classes which was funded by the NCSE. The NCSE has not as yet sent me a copy of this research. I understand that the NCSE expects to be in a position to send me a copy of the research in the near future. I am pleased to advise the Seanad that the NCSE fully intends to publish this research on its website and is working with publishers on this matter.

The Seanad may wish to know that, while the NCSE has provided funding, responsibility for the contents of the research, including any errors or omissions, remains with the authors. The NCSE has clearly stated that the views and opinions contained in such reports are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of the council. The Seanad will appreciate that I am not in a position to publish research I do not have but I am pleased that the NCSE will shortly publish this research on its website. This research will be one of many strands of evidence the NCSE will consider when formulating its advice to me on the future roles for special schools and special classes. I expect that once received, advice from the NCSE will assist the Department with policy formulation in this area.

I want to put on record my support for special schools and special classes and my belief that they will continue to have a significant role in the education of pupils with special educational needs.

I am anxious to examine the ways in which special schools can co-operate with mainstream primary and post-primary schools to provide enhanced services to pupils with special educational needs and their parents.