Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 284: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if her attention has been drawn to the fact that some children with ADHD have lost the support of a classroom assistant after having that support for two years and are falling further behind as a result of an apparent policy change that now views classroom assistants as a resource only for children with care needs, whereas children with ADHD can only get access to the allocation of certain hours with a resource teacher; the reason such a change of policy has been made; and if an assessment of the child's progress could be the basis for reconsideration of its application in individual cases. [5988/06]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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I assume the Deputy is referring to special needs assistant, SNA, support in schools. There has been no policy change with regard to SNA support in schools; it has always been the case that SNAs are a non-teaching support only for children with care needs.

The number of special needs assistants in our schools has increased dramatically in recent years. There are now nearly 6,000 special needs assistants in our primary schools, compared to just 300 in 1998. There are nearly 1,000 special needs assistants in our second level schools in the current school year — an increase of approximately 450 special needs assistant posts on the previous school year. SNAs are employed as and when they are needed. Applications for SNA supports are processed by the National Council for Special Education and once children have been verified as needing SNA support it is put in place as quickly as possible.