Charlie O'Connor (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)
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Question 679: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the progress to date with regard to developing special needs provision; her plans for the future; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [19759/07]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The level of resources being made available by my Department to support students with special educational needs has grown significantly in recent years. A significant development is the establishment of the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) which has been in operation since 1 January 2005 with over 90 members of staff working exclusively in supporting students with special educational needs. The NCSE was established under the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs Act (EPSEN) to improve the delivery of education services to persons with special educational needs arising from disabilities with particular emphasis on children. Since it was established in 2005, the NCSE has been responsible for allocating resources for children with special educational needs. The NCSE has a key role in the delivery of services and operates through a network of special educational needs organisers (SENOs) who act as a focal point of contact for schools and parents. SENOs are responsible for processing applications from schools for special needs supports and they convey decisions on the applications directly to the schools. These supports include resource teaching hours, special needs assistant (SNA) support and assistive technology and equipment.

Children who have been assessed as having special educational needs have access to a range of special support services. The services range from special schools dedicated to particular disability groups, through special classes/units attached to ordinary schools, to placement on an integrated basis in ordinary schools, with special back-up supports. At primary level, there are now over 6,000 teachers working directly with children with special educational needs, including those requiring learning support, compared with fewer than 1,500 in 1998. One out of every five primary school teachers is now working specifically with children with special needs. At post-primary level, over 2,450 whole time equivalent teachers support special needs students compared with 200 in 1998. This includes 566 learning support teachers. Significant progress has been made in relation to increasing the number of SNAs in our schools who specifically cater for children with care needs. There are over 8,800 whole time equivalent SNAs in primary and post-primary schools supporting the care needs of these students compared with approximately 300 in 1998.

As well as this significant increase in the numbers of additional teachers and SNAs directly providing appropriate education and care supports for children with special educational needs, much investment has taken place in the provision of transport, specialist school accommodation, home tuition, assistive technology and equipment. For example, more than €3 million was spent last year on specialised equipment and materials and nearly €50 million on school transport for special needs pupils. In addition to the developments outlined above, my Department's Teacher Education Section has developed a strategy designed to meet the continuing professional development needs of personnel working with children with special educational needs. This involves a major expansion of the range of post-graduate professional training programmes available to teachers in the special needs area and the ongoing development of the Special Education Support Service (SESS) to support schools staff locally. The SESS now has 13 full time seconded teachers and 16 part-time associates and had contact with some 15,000 teachers in the last year. Furthermore, the SESS will be undertaking a recruitment drive in the near future to facilitate an increased level of training.

Going forward, the NCSE has produced an Implementation Report regarding the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs Act, 2004 which is currently receiving detailed consideration within my Department. As part of this process, my officials have met with the education partners to obtain their views on the report and its recommendations. I wish to assure the Deputy that the provision of appropriate educational intervention and supports for children with special educational needs continues to be a key Government priority.