Finian McGrath (Dublin North Central, Independent)
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Question 244: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Education and Skills if she will support a matter (details supplied). [32116/10]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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As the Deputy is aware, the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) is an independent agency with responsibility for determining the appropriate staffing levels in relation to the support of pupils with special educational needs in all mainstream and special schools. This includes determining the level of Special Needs Assistant (SNA) support in schools. The NCSE operates within my Department's policy in allocating this support.

The NCSE is committed to exercising its role in relation to the allocation of teaching hours and Special Needs Assistants to schools to support the education of children with special educational needs in a way that is fair, consistent and transparent. The NCSE has introduced an appeals procedure which can now be viewed in full on its website — www.ncse.ie.

It is open to a school to appeal a SENO's decision under this appeals process.

Finian McGrath (Dublin North Central, Independent)
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Question 245: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Education and Skills if she will support the special needs assistants who were laid off over the summer. [32118/10]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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Special Needs Assistants (SNAs) are allocated to schools to enable them to support pupils with disabilities who also have significant care needs. The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) is responsible, through its network of local Special Educational Needs Organisers, for allocating resource teachers and SNAs to schools to support children with special educational needs. The NCSE operates within my Department's criteria in allocating such support.

The allocation for any school and any adjustments to that allocation depends on a number of factors such as the number of pupils with care/medical needs leaving, the number of new pupils and the changing needs of the pupils. While SNA posts may be allocated to schools in line with my Department's criteria, SNA posts may also be suppressed where a child may leave or move school, or may achieve a greater level of independence.

A Special Needs Assistant whose post is surplus to the approved allocation to the school may be entitled to a redundancy payment under the terms of circular 58/2006 — titled Redundancy Arrangements for Special Need Assistants. Support to SNAs who may have been made redundant is provided for within the terms of this scheme.