Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The Deputy will be aware that the National Council for Special Education (NCSE), through local Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs), is responsible for processing applications from primary and post primary schools for special needs supports such as resource teaching hours and Special Needs Assistant (SNA) support on the basis of applications in respect of individual pupils.

Each SENO works in an assigned local area with parents, schools, teachers, psychologists, health professionals and other staff who are involved in the provision of services in that area for children with special educational needs. SNA support in schools is intended to address the care needs of pupils with special educational needs. In many cases the SNA will be providing care to help with toileting and feeding and it would be expected that very often this level of care should diminish as the child matures. Where a pupil in receipt of SNA support transfers from one school to another, the care needs of the pupil concerned will be examined in the context of the overall allocation already in the school. This may mean that the SNA support required can be met from within the existing allocation.

Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Labour)
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Question 122: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if she has received an invitation to visit any of the three applied behaviour analysis centre for autism schooling schools here (details supplied); when she will visit the schools to observe the application of the ABA method of helping students with learning disabilities the way to learn in order that they can participate in mainstream education; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6064/08]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The Deputy will be aware that the Programme for Government commits to the long-term funding for the centres that are currently in the ABA pilot programme subject to agreement with my Department on standards that will enable the Department to support them as primary schools for children with autism. I am pleased to advise that the issue is being actively progressed between the IAA and officials in my Department.

I have visited one of the ABA pilot centres on two previous occasions and officials of my Department visited one of the centres the Deputy mentions in the last year.

The centres in question are part of this pilot scheme and while I am appreciative of the invitations to visit, I have no plans to do so while the above mentioned discussions are ongoing.