George Lee (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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Question 585: To ask the Minister for Education and Science his plans to reverse the cuts to education supports for children with special needs and to progress the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs Act 2004; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36775/09]

George Lee (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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Question 627: To ask the Minister for Education and Science his plans to reverse the cuts to education supports for children with special needs; his plans to progress the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs Act, 2004; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37363/09]

Batt O'Keeffe (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 585 and 627 together.

I wish to assure the Deputy that the provision of appropriate educational intervention and supports for children with special educational needs continues to be a key Government priority. This is reflected in the fact that my Department was the only Department other than social welfare that got an increase this year. I assume that the Deputy is referring to my Department's decision earlier this year to suppress a number of special classes for pupils with a mild general learning disability (MGLD). I would like to assure the Deputy 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 the decision to apply the normal rules which govern the appointment and retention of teachers of special classes for pupils with a MGLD. My Department examined the enrolment numbers in these special classes and found that a number of classes did not have the minimum number of 9 pupils required to retain the special class teacher. Over half of the classes suppressed had five or fewer children. Schools which had MGLD special classes were allowed to keep them as long as the number of pupils enrolled was 9 or more.

The special classes which closed pre-date the 2005 General Allocation Model of allocating additional teacher support to schools to enable them to meet the needs of pupils with MGLD as well as a number of other high incidence disabilities. All primary schools now have additional teaching support in place for this purpose. All children with MGLD who were in the classes that have been suppressed will be able to receive additional teaching support through the teaching resources allocated to primary schools under the General Allocation Model.

The Deputy will also be aware that this Government is committed to the full implementation of the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs (EPSEN) Act. A significant number of sections of the Act have already been commenced, principally those establishing the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) and those promoting an inclusive approach to the education of children with special educational needs. In the renewed programme for Government, the Government has committed to the development, in consultation with stakeholders, of a costed multi-annual plan to implement some priority aspects of the EPSEN Act, focusing on measurable, practical progress in education and health services for children with special needs.

In addition, the renewed programme for Government also commits to funding for 28 additional posts for the National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) to bring the number of NEPS psychologists to 210. This means that every school in the country will Have access to NEPS which provides assessment and psychological advice for schools to enable them to provide appropriate supports and programmes for children with special educational needs. I want to take this opportunity to emphasise that children with special educational needs will continue to receive an education appropriate to their needs. The NCSE will continue to allocate teaching and special needs assistant resources in line with my Department's policy to enable schools support pupils with special educational needs.