Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 159: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the extent to which she expects to be in a position to provide for the special needs and child guidance in the case of persons (details supplied) who are attending a school in County Kildare; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [11635/05]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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I can confirm that an application for resource teaching hours for the first named pupil was considered by my Department. The school in question was advised that the pupil's special educational needs, SEN, appear to be within the high incidence disability range and it would be expected that these needs can be met from within the current resource-learning support teaching allocation available to the school. The school currently has the services of two learning support teachers and seven resource teachers. It is a matter for the school to deploy these resources to meet the SEN of the pupils in the school.

I can also confirm that correspondence relating to this pupil's resource allocation was recently received in my Department. This correspondence has been sent to the National Council for Special Education, NCSE, which now has responsibility for processing applications for SEN supports. The NCSE will make direct contact with the school in this regard. As previously outlined to the Deputy, 23.3 hours per week special needs assistant support was sanctioned on 18 March 2005 to cater for the special care needs of the pupil concerned.

In relation to the second pupil referred to by the Deputy, I can confirm that an application for five hours resource teaching support and a full-time special needs assistant, SNA, was considered by my Department. In a letter dated 23 September 2004, the school was advised that 3.5 hours resource teaching support was sanctioned. The school was also advised recently that this pupil did not meet the criteria for SNA support as there was insufficient evidence of care needs. I can also confirm that correspondence relating to the level of this pupil's SEN allocation was received recently in my Department. This correspondence has been sent to the National Council for Special Education, NCSE, for consideration. The NCSE will make direct contact with the school in this context.

I wish to advise the Deputy that responsibility for the provision of therapy services rests with the Health Service Executive.