Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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Question 612: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if she will agree to continue to fund an association (details supplied) in County Wicklow; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6485/06]

Billy Timmins (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Question 614: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the position in relation to a school (details supplied) in County Wicklow; if funding will be sanctioned for the ABA unit as a matter of urgency; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6520/06]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 612 and 614 together.

My officials and the National Council for Special Education met representatives of the school referred to by the Deputies on Wednesday, 1 February to discuss a range of issues. Following this meeting, a comprehensive letter issued on 8 February to the school representatives outlining my Department and the NCSE's position on the various matters discussed at the meeting on 1 February.

My Department's letter covered a number of matters such as the need for a board of management, the process for applying for sanction for further classes for children with ASD, training and qualifications of staff and other issues.

It is now a matter for the school to proceed in accordance with the process that has been outlined to it in the letter of 8 February. This process involves making application for additional classes for children with ASD through the local special educational needs organiser.

It will be a matter for the NCSE to process the application and, in doing so, to seek whatever additional information it requires from the school in order to enable it to make an informed decision. The NCSE can seek advice, if required, from my Department concerning the application. Factors such as the needs of the individual children, levels of existing provision in the area and geographical location of the proposed attendees are matters that the NCSE will need to consider in processing the application.

My Department received a response from the school to its letter on 17 February and I understand that further correspondence is also being submitted by the school. A response will issue to the school as soon as all correspondence has been received and considered.

I will continue to prioritise the issue of special needs education for children with autism and, in co-operation with the National Council for Special Education, will ensure that all children with special needs are adequately resourced to enable them to meet their full potential.

Michael Noonan (Limerick East, Fine Gael)
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Question 613: To ask the Minister for Education and Science when facilities for autistic children will be provided at a location (details supplied) in County Clare; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6510/06]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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I am sure the Deputy will be pleased to hear that a school in the location referred to is included in a recent announcement to appoint an architectural design team to provide accommodation to cater for children with specific special educational needs. I am most anxious that all children, including children with autistic spectrum disorders, receive an education appropriate to their needs.

My Department provides the following dedicated facilities for the education of children with autism nationally, including the area referred to by the Deputy. Some 159 special classes for children with autism attached to special schools and mainstream schools have been created, of which six classes have been established in the Clare region. Some 15 pre-school classes for children with autism have been established. Five special classes for children with Asperger's syndrome have been established.

Furthermore, my Department sanctions home tuition grants for children with autism where such children are awaiting an appropriate school placement. In addition to the provisions outlined above, my Department is funding 12 autism specific facilities that are operating on a pilot basis. Some of these facilities provide an applied behavioural analysis, ABA, model of response, which is one of a range of models of approach to the education of children with autism.

As the Deputy is probably aware, the National Council for Special Education, NCSE, is now operational. A specific function of the NCSE, through its network of local special educational needs organisers, SENOs, is to identify appropriate educational placements for all children with special educational needs, including children with autism.

In the circumstances, I am confident that the steps I have outlined and those in hand, especially the establishment of the NCSE, will ensure that appropriate educational provision can be put in place in a timely manner for all children with special educational needs, including children with autism.