Brian Hayes (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 515: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the way the €10 million set aside for enhanced measures in respect of children with special educational needs will be used; the new or existing services that will be enhanced by the additional funding other than the expansion of the National Educational Psychological Service; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37012/08]

Batt O'Keeffe (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Some €10 million has been provided to the Department of Education and Science to enable the services provided to children with special educational needs to be enhanced and strengthened and to continue preparations for the full implementation of the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs (EPSEN) Act at a later date. As the Deputy has noted, part of this amount will be used to facilitate the extension of the National Educational Psychological Service to all schools in the country.

Some additionality is also being provided to the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) to enhance services to children with special educational needs, their parents and schools, and some additional provision has been made for Special Needs Assistants (SNAs) and resource teaching allocations augmenting the amounts already provided in these areas. A further amount has been provided to assist in providing training for teachers to meet the learning and teaching needs of children with special educational needs in the context of the future implementation of the Act.