Jack Wall (Kildare South, Labour)
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Question 555: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if grants are available through her Department for the provision of special needs equipment to assist a person (details supplied) in County Kildare with dyspraxia, if so the mechanism that a parent must adhere to obtain the equipment; if such a facility is not available the plans she has to initiate such a scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31186/07]

Jack Wall (Kildare South, Labour)
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Question 558: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if her Department has an occupational therapist section that children with difficulties such as dyspraxia can be referred to; the criteria her Department has to deal with such requests or if she can offer a direction to parents seeking such assistance; the plans she has to address the issue in the case of a person details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31217/07]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 555 and 558 together.

As the Deputy will be aware, the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) is responsible, through its network of local Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs), for allocating resource teachers and special needs assistants to schools to support children with special needs. The SENOs also make recommendations to my Department in relation to assistive technology which may be required by children with certain special educational needs. I have arranged for the details supplied by the Deputy to be forwarded to the NCSE for their attention and direct reply.

All schools have the names and contact details of their local SENO. Parents may also contact their local SENO directly to discuss their child's special educational needs, using the contact details available on www.ncse.ie.

In relation to the provision of occupational therapy services, this is a matter for the Health Services Executive (HSE) and funding is provided to the HSE for such purposes.

Niall Collins (Limerick West, Fianna Fail)
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Question 556: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the position in relation to the provision of special tuition for a person (details supplied) in County Limerick. [31187/07]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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As the Deputy will be aware, the National Council for Special Education is responsible, through its network of local Special Educational Needs Organisers, for allocating resource teachers and special needs assistants to schools to support children with special needs. I have arranged for the details supplied to be forwarded to the NCSE for their attention and direct reply.

All schools have the names and contact details of their local SENO. Parents may also contact their local SENO directly to discuss their child's special educational needs, using the contact details available on www.ncse.ie.