Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 721 and 722 together.

As the Deputy may be aware my Department has issued a letter to all primary schools notifying them of their teaching allocation under the new general allocation model for the 2005-06 school year. The letter also includes details of any clustering arrangements that may apply. One of the objectives of the general allocation model is to maximise the extent of full-time permanent posts available to support the needs of pupils with higher-incidence special educational needs, SEN, and learning support teacher requirements. Clustering facilitates the assignment of experienced teachers as well as allowing for better training of resource teachers on the basis that permanent posts will retain teachers for longer periods. This ultimately benefits the pupils. To this end, schools, particularly those with small enrolments, have been grouped in clusters where possible.

Part-time hours have been provided to schools in cases where it was not possible to form a cluster of general allocation hours. Schools that have been allocated part-time permanent hours may be aware of a local school with part-time permanent hours that when combined could form a full-time permanent post. It is open to any such schools wishing to form a cluster by combining these hours to contact my Department's special education section in writing with details of their proposal. It should be noted that these arrangements apply to staffing associated with the general allocation model only.

Where it is not possible for schools to form permanent posts under the general allocation model, such schools may, for the purposes of creating temporary full-time posts, form clusters to combine permanent part-time hours allocated under the general allocation model with hours allocated for individual children with low incidence disabilities, or transitional hours retained for children with high incidence disabilities. Again, any schools wishing to form such temporary full-time posts should contact my Department's special education section in writing with details of their proposal. This arrangement will apply for the 2005-06 school year only and is being facilitated on the understanding that, as pupils with an individual allocation of hours leave the school at the end of that school year, the full-time temporary posts will be adjusted to the appropriate reduced level of part-time hours. Responsibility for filling any additional posts which may be created using the above arrangements rests with the management authorities of the relevant schools in line with Department procedures.

Schools have been advised that where they currently have a permanent resource teacher and where they have adequate hours to warrant the continuation of a full-time post through a combination of general allocation hours and-or low incidence hours and-or transitional hours for the coming school year, they may retain the existing teacher for the school year without the status of the teacher having to change.

My Department is also finalising a circular for schools which will contain detailed information on how the new system will operate. It is intended that this circular will issue before the end of the current school year. It is also intended that this circular will address issues that have been raised by schools with my Department since the system was notified to schools in mid-May.