Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 779: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the further projected requirements in respect of special needs teachers throughout the country; the full extent to which the shortfall has been identified and is expected to be addressed within a reasonable time; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34354/07]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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I wish to advise the Deputy that the level of resources being made available by my Department to support students with special educational needs nationally has grown significantly in recent years. 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. At post-primary level, over 2,450 wholetime 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.

Additional teaching supports are allocated as necessary by the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) in line with my Department's policy to support children with special educational needs. As a result, there is no current shortfall in the number of teacher posts being allocated for children with special educational needs.

Going forward, the NCSE has produced an Implementation Report regarding the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs (EPSEN Act), 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. Arising from this process and taking account of the Council's implementation report, a Working Group in my Department has been developing proposals for the implementation of the Act and this work will be completed shortly. In this context, I am satisfied that effective progress is being made to advance development of the necessary policy and supports to enable formal commencement of the remaining provisions of the Act.

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 780: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the school accommodation requirement in terms of school places, teaching or other facilities for children with autism or Aspergers' syndrome; the full extent of the funding provided by her Department to address these issues in each of the past three years; her proposals for the future in this regard; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34355/07]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The Deputy will be aware of my commitment to ensuring that all children, including students on the autistic spectrum, receive an education appropriate to their needs. As the Deputy is aware, the National Council for Special Education is responsible, through its network of local Special Educational Needs Organisers, for the establishment of special classes for autism and for allocating resource teachers and special needs assistants to schools to support children with special needs. In excess of 275 autism-specific classes have now been approved around the country, with 75 sanctioned in the last year alone. The NCSE will continue to sanction additional classes for children with autism where the need arises.

As part of my commitment to catering for the accommodation needs of children with special needs, all applications for such accommodation are given priority by my Department's Planning and Building Unit. Where notice of new or additional accommodation needs does not allow sufficient time for the provision of a permanent structure, my Department funds the provision of temporary accommodation. The information regarding the level of funding which my Department makes available for school accommodation for children on the autistic spectrum requested by the Deputy is not readily available.