Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 112: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the precise improvements that have taken place since the last general election in respect of the promised reduction in pupil-teacher ratios in the classroom, improved facilities for children with autism, Asperger's syndrome or children with similar needs, improved speech and language therapy and psychological assessments; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6774/08]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The Deputy will be aware that major improvements have been made in staffing at primary level in recent years. There are now in the region of 6,000 more primary teachers than there were in 2002. By the 2006/07 school year, we had reduced the average class size in our primary schools to 24, while the pupil teacher ratio was 16.4:1, including resource teachers etc. In that year, schools were staffed on the basis of a general rule of at least one classroom teacher for every 28 children. Given that the national average was 24, many schools benefited from much more favourable staffing ratios than this.

Extra teachers were provided by the Government for the 2007/08 school year to improve primary school staffing so that schools would generally get at least one classroom teacher for every 27 children.

A further initiative in recent years that has been of direct benefit to primary schools has been the change in the criteria for developing schools. For the current school year the threshold for getting a developing school post was reduced specifically to help schools that are seeing large increases in enrolments each year. Over 330 such posts have been sanctioned in the 2007/08 school year compared to 280 in 2006/07.

The improvements we have made in school staffing in recent years are absolutely unparalleled. The Government is committed to providing more teachers to our primary schools over the next five years in order to reduce class sizes. We will also continue our focus on measures to improve the quality of education in our primary schools to ensure that increased resources lead to better outcomes for our children.

In relation to improved facilities for children with autism, Asperger's syndrome and children with similar needs, the Deputy will be aware of my commitment to ensuring that all children, including those with autism receive an education appropriate to their needs, preferably through the primary and post primary school network. There are now in excess of 275 autism-specific classes around the country, an increase of 66 since the formation of the current Government. The National Council Special Education (NCSE) will continue to establish classes where the need is identified. As part of the continuing expansion of services nationwide I recently gave recognition to the Rehab Group as the patron of a new special school for children with autism in Limerick.

The Deputy will be aware of the commitment in the current Programme for Government commitment to long-term funding for the centres that are currently in the ABA pilot scheme subject to agreement with my Department on standards that will enable them to be supported as primary schools for children with autism. I am pleased to advise the Deputy that this is being actively progressed between officials from my Department and the IAA.

The Deputy may be aware that in order to support teachers my Department has put in place a training programme for teachers in specific interventions associated with autism including TEACCH, PECS and ABA through the Special Education Support Service (SESS). This support has been greatly enhanced by the recruitment of a team of behaviour advisers, recruited since the last general election, under the leadership of a person with a PhD in ABA.

Since May 2007 the number of psychologists employed within the NEPS service has increased from 128 to 138 and it is my intention to further increase this complement to 169 within 2008. In this regard, following a national recruitment process put in place in late 2007 by the Public Appointments Service, interviews are currently being held to form regional panels from which appointments to priority regions.

In common with many other psychological services, NEPS encourages a staged assessment process, whereby each school takes responsibility for initial assessment, educational planning and remedial intervention, in consultation with their assigned NEPS psychologist. Only if there is a failure to make reasonable progress in spite of the school's best efforts, will a child be referred for individual psychological assessment. This system allows the psychologists to give early attention to urgent cases and also to help many more children indirectly than could be seen individually. It also ensures that children are not referred unnecessarily for psychological intervention. A measure of the effect of the above mentioned expansion of NEPS psychologist number, in terms of assessments conducted, will be taken at the end of the current academic year.

The Deputy will be aware that a cross-sectoral team has also been established, comprising senior officials from my Department, the NCSE, the Department of Health and Children and the HSE to co-ordinate the implementation of Part 2 of the Disability Act 2005 and the relevant sections of the EPSEN Act 2004. The appointment of Deputy Jimmy Devins as a Minister of State, at the Departments of Education and Science and Health and Children, will also improve co-ordination between the two sectors in the interests of a better service for children.

In 2002 my Department approved the provision of an additional 75 places on new courses in Speech and Language Therapy in U.C.C., N.U.I.G. and U.L. in addition to 25 places on an existing course in T.C.D. As a result there has been a significant increase in the numbers of Speech and Language Therapists graduating from universities in recent years. Some 93 Therapists graduated 2007 compared to 21 in 2004. It is understood from the Higher Education Authority that 109 places are currently offered annually on Speech and Language Therapy courses compared to 25 places in 2002.

Significant development and improvements have been and will continue to be made in the range of areas identified by the Deputy.