Joe Carey (Clare, Fine Gael)
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Question 72: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Education and Skills the number of special needs assistants withdrawn from both primary and post-primary schools since the commencement of the National Council for Special Education's review of SNAs began; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41307/10]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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The Deputy may be aware that the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) has published its report on the Review of Special Needs Assistant (SNA) Allocation to Schools April 2009 – March 2010 on its website www.ncse.ie. The NSCE has since carried out a number of further reviews of SNA allocation of schools, bringing the total number of schools reviewed as at September 2010 to 3,056. Of this number, 2,363 were primary schools, 588 post-primary schools and 105 were special schools. To date, 9,829 SNA posts have been reviewed and 9,395 SNA posts remain in the schools concerned. 434 SNA posts have been withdrawn from schools - in these cases, either the students for whom the posts were originally allocated had left the school or the students' care needs had diminished over time. Of 2,363 primary schools reviewed 1,261 schools had no change in their SNA level, 704 had a decrease in SNA level, and 398 schools had an increase in their SNA level. Of 588 primary schools reviewed 304 schools had no change in their SNA level, 158 had a decrease in SNA level, and 126 schools had an increase in their SNA level. Of 105 special schools reviewed 54 schools had no change in their SNA level, 29 had a decrease in SNA level, and 22 schools had an increase in their SNA level. The full updated report will be published by the NCSE shortly on its website www.ncse.ie. A small number of schools remain to be reviewed and the NCSE has indicated that these will be reviewed early in the 2010/11 academic year. There are currently in excess of 10,000 SNAs in schools compared with just 300 in 1997. I wish to emphasise that the criteria governing the allocation of SNA posts has not changed, and that SNA posts continue to be retained, and new posts sanctioned, where the care needs of pupils meet the criteria for the scheme.