Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)
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Question 703: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if extra resource hours will be allocated to a person (details supplied) attending a primary school in County Louth; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [19209/05]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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I confirm that the pupil referred to by the Deputy is in receipt of three and a half hours of resource teaching support per week. The Deputy may be aware that the National Council for Special Education, NCSE, which became operational on 1 January 2005, processes applications for special educational needs, SEN, supports. The NCSE will review decisions previously taken in respect of such cases on foot of a request from the school or a parent or guardian, when accompanied by relevant additional information which may not have been to hand at the time of the decision. The NCSE has outlined this process in its circular 01/05 which issued to all primary schools.

My officials have been in contact with the local special educational needs organiser, SENO, who has confirmed that an application was received to increase the number of hours of resource teaching support from three and a half hours to five hours per week. However, the SENO examined the application and has decided that the pupil in question does not meet the criteria for an increase in resource teaching hours. The decision has been communicated to the school authorities.