Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 600: To ask the Minister for Education and Science when a special needs assistant will be arranged for a person (details supplied) in County Kildare who is in urgent need of same; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6786/08]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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As the Deputy may 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.

My officials have been in contact with the NCSE regarding an application for special needs assistant support for the pupil referred to by the Deputy. The NCSE has confirmed that the SENO has received an application for such support from the school. The SENO has requested additional information from the school in support of the application. On receipt of this information the SENO will be in a position to convey a decision on the application directly to the school authorities.