Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 751: To ask the Minister for Education and Science when resource hours will be restored to a person (details supplied) in their new school in County Mayo. [29283/05]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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As I confirmed for the Deputy on 28 September last, my Department reviewed the file on the child concerned in the last school year and based on the documentation that was submitted to my Department it was determined that the child concerned falls into the high incidence disability category.

As the Deputy will be aware, a new general allocation system 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 specific teaching allocation of one full-time post and five hours.

The teaching posts being 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 impairment, 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 has been allocated enough resource teaching hours to provide its pupils with a level of support appropriate to their needs.

The school can use its professional judgment 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 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. It is open to the parents of the pupil in question to contact the school to discuss with the principal and teaching staff the type of provision that the school intends to put in place for the pupil.

Olwyn Enright (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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Question 752: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if she will clarify the context in which her reply to Question No. 1310 of 28 September 2005 was answered, in view of the fact that an application for SEN support was made on the 15 July 2004, which was refused seven months later (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29288/05]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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As the Deputy will be aware, the National Council for Special Education — NCSE — which was established recently, and which has been operational since 1 January 2005, is responsible for processing applications for special educational needs — SEN — supports.

My officials have been advised by the NCSE that the matter has been referred to the local special educational needs organiser — SENO. The SENO is currently making inquiries regarding the issues raised by the Deputy and will be in direct contact with the school authorities in the near future.