Jerry Cowley (Mayo, Independent)
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Question 212: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if the case of a person (details supplied) in County Mayo will be addressed; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32189/06]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The Deputy will be aware that the National Council for Special Education, NCSE, through the local special educational needs organiser, is responsible for processing applications for special educational needs supports from primary and post-primary schools. In the case referred to by the Deputy, an application for resource teaching hours was made to the relevant special educational needs organiser. However, the application did not meet my Department's criteria for individual resource teaching support. The school in question has been allocated 17.5 hours learning support/resource teacher hours under the general allocation system introduced in primary schools in September 2005. It is a matter for the school principal to identify the pupils who should access such support and to determine if such support is delivered within a group or individual setting. It is open to the parent to discuss the matter with the school to determine if the pupil qualifies for such support. The NCSE will review decisions previously taken in relation to such cases on foot of a request from the school or parents/guardians, when accompanied by relevant additional information, which may not have been to hand at the time of the decision. The NCSE has outlined this process in its Circular 01/05 which issued to all primary schools.