Martin Ferris (Kerry North, Sinn Fein)
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Question 340: To ask the Minister for Education and Science her views on the assessments carried out on special needs assistants; and if there has been a delay in notifying applicants who were informed that a decision would be made after Christmas. [5880/05]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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I take it that the Deputy is referring to the review of special needs assistant, SNA, provision in primary schools. The review commenced in September 2004 and is continuing. The review is concerned with the level and deployment of SNA posts in mainstream classes. The intention is to ensure that the level of approved SNA support in schools, and the manner in which that support is being allocated, are such as to ensure that the special care needs of pupils are being appropriately met.

Decisions regarding the appropriate level of SNA support in respect of applications made to my Department will be based on the outcome of this review. It is my intention that decisions will issue to the schools concerned at an early date.

Martin Ferris (Kerry North, Sinn Fein)
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Question 341: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if the application for a resource teacher and special needs assistance support for a person (details supplied) in County Kerry has been successful. [5881/05]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The pupil in question is currently in receipt of 2.5 hours resource teaching support. My Department has received an application to increase this support to five hours per week. In addition, the school has made an application for 15 hours per week special needs assistant, SNA, support for the pupil.

My Department advised the school on 9 November 2004 that the pupil's special education needs, SEN, appear to be within the high incidence category and he is therefore receiving the level of resource teaching support appropriate to his category of need. It would be expected that the pupil's SEN can be met from within the current resource-learning support teaching allocation available to the school. The school currently has the services of one shared learning support post together with 13 hours part-time resource teaching support. It is a matter for the school to deploy these resources to meet the SEN of the pupils in the school.

The Deputy may be aware that a review of SNA provision in primary schools commenced in September 2004 and is continuing. The review is concerned with the level and deployment of SNA posts in mainstream classes. The intention is to ensure that the level of approved SNA support in schools, and the manner in which that support is being allocated, are such as to ensure that the special care needs of pupils are being appropriately met.

Decisions regarding the appropriate level of SNA support for the pupil in question will be based on the outcome of this review and a decision will issue to the school as quickly as possible.