Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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Question 486: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the number of classes for children with mild disabilities which will be affected by the recent decision to remove funding for classes with fewer than nine pupils; and when this decision was made. [9498/09]

Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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Question 487: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the consultations which took place with persons who initially assessed those children in classes for children with mild disabilities who will be obliged to move into mainstream education. [9499/09]

Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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Question 488: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the policy basis for withdrawing funding for classes in respect of children with mild disabilities in classes of fewer than nine pupils. [9500/09]

Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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Question 489: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the money that will be saved through the withdrawal of funding for classes in respect of children with mild disabilities of fewer than nine pupils. [9501/09]

Mary Upton (Dublin South Central, Labour)
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Question 538: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if he will arrange for clustering of two schools for purposes of special classes for children with mild learning disabilities in respect of schools (details supplied) in Dublin 10; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9793/09]

Finian McGrath (Dublin North Central, Independent)
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Question 542: To ask the Minister for Education and Science his views on the case in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Dublin. [9829/09]

Joanna Tuffy (Dublin Mid West, Labour)
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Question 567: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if he will reconsider his decision to suppress a special class at a school (details provided) in Dublin 22 in view of the fact that it is vital that the needs of pupils with special educational needs are catered for at this school; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10077/09]

Batt O'Keeffe (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 486 to 489, inclusive, 538, 542 and 567 together.

I wish to clarify for the Deputies that there will be no pupil with a special educational need who will be without access to a special needs teacher as a result of my Department's decision to apply the normal rules which govern the appointment and retention of teachers to special classes for pupils with a mild general learning disability.

The Deputies will be aware that all primary schools have been allocated additional teaching resources to enable them support pupils with high incidence special educational needs including mild general learning disability (MGLD). All primary schools were given these additional teaching resources under the General Allocation Model of learning support/resource teaching introduced in 2005. Schools can decide how best to use this allocation based on the needs of the pupils. Most pupils with a MGLD are included in ordinary classes with their peers and are supported by their class teacher. The curriculum is flexible so that teachers can cater for the needs of children of different abilities.

The Deputies will be aware that allocations to schools typically increase or decrease depending on pupil enrolment. In the case of classes for MGLD the normal pupil teacher ratio that applies is 11:1. My Department however allows for a small reduction in this number and permits schools to retain a teaching post where it has a minimum of 9 pupils in the class. In the case of 128 classes in 119 schools, the number of pupils dropped below this minimum. These schools therefore are no longer entitled to the teaching posts in these classes.

There are currently 534 pupils enrolled in these classes. It is not possible to give a precise cost of the posts concerned due to the varying salary costs of the teachers in question. However, it is estimated to be in the region of €6.8m. I will arrange for a list of the schools concerned to be sent to Deputy Ó Caoláin.

In 2005 when the General Allocation Model was introduced, schools with additional teachers in classes for MGLD were allowed to retain the teachers for these classes. Effectively, these schools received a double allocation. The number of these special classes has decreased over the years and schools have integrated the children into age-appropriate mainstream classes. All of the other primary schools in the country who do not have classes for children with MGLD cater for these pupils from within the General Allocation Model.

I am open to listening to proposals from schools where they can demonstrate that it is educationally more beneficial for the pupils involved to be in a special class of their own rather than to be integrated with their peers and supported by the mainstream classroom teacher and the learning resource teacher.