Maurice Cummins (Fine Gael)

The Leader of the Opposition, Senator Darragh O'Brien, spoke about special needs assistants. We had a debate on this only last week. I have some correspondence from the Department on that matter. I will read the first page and provide a copy of this correspondence to Senator O'Brien.

- Schools are being advised this week of their allocation of Special Needs Assistants (SNAs) for the coming school year 2011/2012.

- The last government decided in December 2010 to cap the number of SNAs at 10,575.

- There are currently 10,802 posts, 227 posts over the cap to be reached at the end of 2011.

- As the 10,575 cap must be met by year end, there will regretfully have to be a reduction of 227 posts from September.

The Minister states:

- I want to assure you that the existing levels of SNAs in special schools will be maintained, in order to assist and protect the most vulnerable children

- I also want to assure you that all schools that enrol children with significant care needs, will have SNA support, and all such children will have access to this support

- No school in this country will lose all of their SNA support.

- Let me re-iterate, any school which has even one child with care needs will get SNA support. It is scaremongering in the extreme and deeply distressful for parents and schools to be suggesting otherwise

I have about five pages here and I will make it available to anybody who wishes to have those after the Order of Business.

Quite a number of people requested that the Minister for Health, Deputy James Reilly, come to the House to discuss a whole range of issues, including hospitals and junior doctors. The Minister has been to the House to deal with legislation and also to reply to a matter on the Adjournment. I assure Senators that the Minister will be in the House on Thursday 7 July for statements on health, and Senators may raise any issue they wish.