Gerard Murphy (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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Question 606: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if one to one resource teaching will be given to a person (details supplied) in County Cork. [23931/05]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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As the Deputy is aware, a new scheme for allocating resource teachers to schools to cater for the needs of children with high incidence special needs and learning support needs was announced last month. The reason for the new scheme is simple. Children with special needs such as dyslexia or mild learning difficulties are found in almost every school. It makes sense then that every school should have a number of resource teaching hours based on the number of pupils in the school.

This is a major improvement on the previous system, under which children with high incidence special needs required psychological assessments before they were given resource teaching hours by the Department. This was a time consuming process that often led to delays in children getting the support they needed. Resource teachers will now be in place in the school from the start of the school year, so that children who need their assistance can get it immediately.

I confirm that, according to my Department's records, the pupil referred to by the Deputy falls within the high incidence disability categories. This information is based on a census completed by the school authorities in 2003 and his needs, therefore, can be catered for from within the school's general allocation.

The general allocation for the school in question is 17.5 part-time hours. It is a matter for each school to determine the pupils with high incidence special education and learning support needs that will receive this support. Each school will have enough resource teaching hours to provide its pupils with a level of support appropriate to their needs. The school can then use its professional judgment to decide how these hours are divided between different children in the school to ensure all their needs are met. I stress that there is nothing to stop the school from allocating one to one resource teaching to this pupil if it believes this is the best type of support to meet his needs.

The Deputy will also be aware that the National Council for Special Education, NCSE, which was established recently and has been operational since 1 January 2005, is responsible for processing applications for special educational needs, SEN, supports.

A total of 71 special educational needs organisers, SENOs, have been recruited throughout the country and are a focal point of contact for schools and parents. It is open to the school authorities to formally make an application for SEN supports for the pupil in question should he be assessed as having a lower incidence disability.