Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 650: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the extent of additional educational facilities, other than those previously announced, expected to be provided by him over the next three years with particular reference to children affected by autism, Asperger's, ADD and ADHD; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37510/09]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 651: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the provisions he has made or will make to enhance psychological assessment, speech therapy and other special needs requirements throughout the educational spectrum; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37511/09]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 652: To ask the Minister for Education and Science his proposals to increase facilities for children with special needs in mainstream education; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37512/09]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 655: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the position regarding promises made in the course of the 2007 general election in relation to the provision of resources for teaching children with autism or Asperger's syndrome under the revised programme for Government; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37515/09]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 656: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the extra resources he made available for children with autism in mainstream education in 2008 and his proposals for same in 2009; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37516/09]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 657: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the number of schools here awaiting resources to meet the requirements of children with autism; when these requirements will be met in full; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37517/09]

Batt O'Keeffe (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 650 to 652, inclusive, and 655 to 657, inclusive, 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.

The Deputy will be aware that the Renewed Programme for Government commits to the expansion in the number of psychologists employed directly by the National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS). This will allow for the assignment of a NEPS psychologist to every primary and post-primary school in the country and for the deepening of support therein with particular emphasis on special needs units, classes and special schools.

With regard to enhancing speech therapy services, I would like to advise the Deputy that additional funding of €10m was allocated to the Health Service Executive (HSE) for 125 additional therapy posts in disability and mental health services in the 2009 Budget. €7.2 million of this funding will provide for 90 additional therapy posts in the disability services area. These posts will be targeted at supporting children of school going age and will include speech and language therapists, occupational therapists, physiotherapists and psychologists.

The HSE will continue to work with funded specialist providers and in co-operation with the education sector to address the health related needs of children with special educational needs in the context of the resources available.

The Deputy will be aware of my commitment to ensuring that all pupils, including those with special educational needs, can have access to an education appropriate to their needs preferably in school settings through the primary and post-primary school network. There has been unprecedented investment in providing supports for pupils with special needs in recent years. There are now about 19,000 adults in our schools working solely with pupils with special needs. This includes over 10,000 Special Needs Assistants (SNAs) - compared with just 300 in 1997. There are over 8,000 resource and learning support teachers in our schools compared with just 2,000 in 1998. Over 1,000 other teachers support pupils in our special schools.

As well as this significant increase in the numbers of additional teachers and SNAs directly providing appropriate education and care supports for children with special educational needs, much investment has taken place in the provision of transport, specialist school accommodation, home tuition, assistive technology and equipment.

In relation to autism specific provision, the Deputy will be aware that the establishment of a network of autism-specific special classes in schools across the country to cater for children with autism has been a key educational priority in recent years. In excess of 370 classes have now been approved around the country at primary and post primary level, including many in special schools, an increase of 40 in the last year.

An initiative in November 2006 expanded the level of administrative support available to large schools and schools with high numbers of special classes or a specialist autism unit. The measures included the allocation of additional teachers to allow Deputy Principals in mainstream schools that, in addition to their ordinary mainstream class teachers, also have five or more special classes for children with the more complex, low incidence, special needs, to operate as Administrative Deputy Principals. Where a school has a Principal and four or five mainstream class teachers and also has a specialist autism unit established under approval of NCSE, the Principal will be appointed on an administrative basis.

My Department has put in place a training programme for teachers in autism-specific interventions including Treatment and Education of Autistic ommunication Handicapped Children (TEACCH), Picture Exchange Communications System (PECS) and Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA) through the Special Education Support Service (SESS). The SESS facilitates a partnership approach involving support teams of practising teachers, Education Centres, the Inspectorate, the National Educational Psychological Service, the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment, the National Council for Special Education, Third Level Colleges, Health Board Personnel, Teacher Unions and other relevant bodies and services.

The Deputy will be aware that the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) is responsible, through its network of local Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs), for allocating special needs resources to schools to support children with special educational needs. The NCSE operates within my Department's criteria in allocating such support. The NCSE will continue to support schools, parents, children and teachers and special needs assistants will continue to be deployed to schools to meet children's needs in line with my Department's policy.

I want to take this opportunity to emphasise that children with special educational needs will continue to receive an education appropriate to their needs. I intend to build on the progress that has been achieved in recent years which has seen a huge increase in resources for special needs.