Cecilia Keaveney (Donegal North East, Fianna Fail)
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Question 1156: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the outcome regarding correspondence (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25026/05]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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In general, classes for pupils with severe and profound general learning disability, GLD, established by my Department, including the one referred to by the Deputy, are staffed by one teacher and two special needs assistants and can cater for a maximum of six pupils. My Department's records show that there are five pupils enrolled in the class in question which is currently staffed by one class teacher and four special needs assistants. Such pupils are also entitled to enhanced capitation grants and special equipment, where appropriate.

Responsibility for the delivery of therapy services to children with special educational needs lies with the relevant health authorities which are allocated funding for this purpose. Any issues associated with the assessment of or determination of cases for funding would be a matter for the local health authorities.

Special schools and special classes funded by my Department are intended to cater for children and young persons with special educational needs from four years of age until the end of the school year in which they reach their 18th year. The Department of Health and Children has direct responsibility for provision for young adults over 18 years of age with special needs. My Department is willing to provide funding towards the cost of an appropriate education component of such provision.

On the transport issue raised by the Deputy, Bus Éireann operates the school transport scheme on behalf of my Department and is responsible for the safe conditions of the vehicles in use and the implementation of adaptations, where approved. Where it is considered that a particular vehicle needs to be adapted to meet the particular needs of pupils, an application may be submitted to the school transport section of my Department for consideration.

I can confirm that an application for additional accommodation has been received from the management authority of the school in question. The application has been assessed in accordance with the published prioritisation criteria which were revised last year following consultation with the education partners. The building project at the school will be considered in the context of the schools building and modernisation programme 2005-09.

The Deputy may be aware that the National Council for Special Education, NCSE, which became operational on 1 January 2005, now processes applications for special educational needs supports and decides on the level of support appropriate to the school.

The council has a key role in the development and delivery of services for persons with special educational needs, including children with severe and profound general learning disability. It will have a research and advisory role and will establish expert groups to consider specific areas of special needs provision. It will also establish a consultative forum to facilitate inputs from the education partners and other interested parties. The council has a local area presence through a network of over 70 special educational needs organisers, SENOs. They represent a focal point of contact for schools and parents. The SENOs are responsible for co-ordinating and facilitating delivery of educational services to children with disabilities at local level.

Cecilia Keaveney (Donegal North East, Fianna Fail)
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Question 1157: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the position regarding special education support at a school (details supplied) in County Donegal; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25028/05]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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I am pleased to advise the Deputy that this matter has been resolved and that my Department has recently given sanction for a resource teaching post to be based in the school concerned. This is a shared post which will also cater for resource hours which have been sanctioned to other schools in the vicinity. I also understand that the teacher the Deputy is concerned with has been taken off the special education panel and will be assigned to this resource position.

Cecilia Keaveney (Donegal North East, Fianna Fail)
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Question 1158: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the position regarding special education support at a school (details supplied) in County Donegal; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25029/05]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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As the Deputy is aware, a new general allocation scheme has been announced under which schools have been provided with resource teaching hours, based on their enrolment figures, to cater for children with high-incidence special needs such as dyslexia and those with learning support needs. Under the new system, the school in question has a full-time learning support-resource teaching post, LSRT, based therein and also the services of a resource teaching post based in a neighbouring school.

The posts provided under the new general allocation scheme are designed to ensure that each school has enough resource teaching hours to meet the needs of children with high-incidence special needs, such as dyslexia and children with learning support needs. Resource teaching hours for children with low-incidence special needs, such as hearing impaired, will continue to be provided on the basis of an individual application for each child.

It is a matter for each school to determine the pupils with high-incidence special education and learning support needs who 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 judgement to decide how these hours are divided between different children in the school, to ensure that all their needs are met. Research shows that some children with special needs will respond better with one-to-one tuition. Others, however, do better when taught in small groups. Often it is best for resource teachers to work with children in the classroom rather than taking them away to a separate room, as the children then have to catch up on work done by the rest of the class in their absence. The point is that the type of response needed depends on the child.

My Department has recently issued a comprehensive circular — Sp Ed 02/05 — to all primary schools regarding the organisation of teaching resources for pupils who need additional support in mainstream primary schools. The main purpose of this circular is to provide guidance for schools on the deployment and organisation of the teaching resources that were allocated under the general allocation model. Reference is also made in this circular to the deployment of additional teaching resources that are allocated to schools for the support of individual pupils with low-incidence disabilities.