John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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Question 552: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if a laptop will be provided for a person (details supplied) in County Kilkenny; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5053/06]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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My Department has not received an application for the provision of a laptop in respect of the pupil referred to by the Deputy. My Department operates a scheme of grants towards the purchase of equipment for the use of pupils in second level schools who have been diagnosed as having serious physical and/or communicative disabilities of a degree which make ordinary communication through speech and/or writing impossible for them. The purpose of the scheme is to provide the pupils in question with equipment of direct educational benefit to them. Examples of such equipment include computers, word processors, tape recorders, software and so on. School management authorities have been circularised to ensure that they are fully informed of the terms of the scheme. Under the terms, all applications in respect of individual pupils should be submitted by the relevant school management authority to the special educational needs organiser or SENO with assigned responsibility for the school.