Kathleen Lynch (Cork North Central, Labour)
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Question 114: To ask the Minister for Education and Science further to Parliamentary Question Nos. 969 and 970 of 30 January 2008, the annual cost for employment of the 9,800 special needs assistants in the primary, post primary and special schools; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6049/08]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The National Council for Special Education is responsible, through its network of local Special Educational Needs Organisers, for allocating special needs assistants (SNAs) to schools and for reviewing such allocations.

Special needs Assistants are intended to support children who have care needs arising from a disability. There are currently in excess of 9,800 special needs assistants in primary, post-primary and special schools supporting children with special care needs.

The break-down of these posts and the estimated annual cost per sector is as follows:

Primary Schools (including Special Schools): 8,038 Special Needs Assistants — Annual Cost €241.140m

Voluntary Secondary Schools: 707 Special Needs Assistants — Annual Cost €21.210m

Community Schools: 381 Special Needs Assistants — Annual Cost €11.430m

Comprehensive Schools: 60 Special Needs Assistants — Annual Cost €1.8m

Schools under Vocational Education Committees: 638 Special Needs Assistants — Annual Cost €19.140m

The costs I have outlined for each sector are based on an average annual salary cost across each sector of €30,000. The current salary scale is applicable from the 1st June 2007 as a result of the implementation of Phase 2 of the "Towards 2016" Social Partnership Agreement.

I should also point out that special needs assistants in primary, voluntary secondary, community and comprehensive schools are employed by the individual school authority and paid centrally on my Department's payroll. In the case of VEC schools, the special needs assistants are employed and paid directly by the VEC concerned. A common salary scale applies across all sectors.