Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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Question 444: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if his attention has been drawn to the fact that under current practice his Department will not appoint a special needs assistant for a child (details supplied) in County Wexford who has been diagnosed with ADHD and related behavioural difficulties until they have been assessed by a clinical psychologist, that there is a two-year delay in the public system for child psychologist assessment and that their parents paid for their child's developmental paediatrics evaluation and cannot fund a private clinical psychologist assessment as both are unemployed; the action that will be taken by her Department in conjunction with the health services to ensure that an SNA is appointed for this child without further delay; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21368/09]

Batt O'Keeffe (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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As the Deputy is aware the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) is responsible, through its network of local Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs), for allocating resource teachers and special needs assistants (SNAs) to schools to support children with special needs. The NCSE operates within the Department's criteria in allocating such support.

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.

All schools have the names and contact details of their local SENO. Parents may also contact their local SENO directly to discuss their child's special educational needs, using the contact details available on www.ncse.ie.

I have arranged for the information provided by the Deputy to be forwarded to the NCSE for their direct reply.