Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 795: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the extent to which she expects to increase the number of special needs assistants at primary school level; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20057/05]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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There are currently 6,314 special needs assistants, SNAs, in primary schools. SNAs are assigned to schools to meet the care needs of individual children who have been assessed by a psychologist as needing this type of support. There has been no change to the criteria or guidelines for allocating SNA support to schools and there are no plans to review the criteria or guidelines under which SNA support is allocated. Applications for SNA support are now dealt with by the National Council for Special Education which processes all applications for support from schools and communicates decisions directly to schools.

I understand the council has dealt with all new applications from schools for SNAs who will be required from the beginning of September 2005. Where an identified need for SNA support arises, the resources to put an SNA in place will be made available to schools. However, it is not possible to state how many applications for such support may be lodged with the National Council for Special Education in the coming months.