Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 101: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Education and Skills the number of special needs assistants employed in each county in the years 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 and to date in 2010 in tabular form. [42522/10]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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The information requested by the Deputy on the number of special needs assistants employed in each county on the dates specified is not readily available.

The number of Special Needs Assistants employed nationally in each of the past five years and on 30th September 2010 is available in the document below. The details for each of the past five years are the December figures for the year in question. The primary schools information is inclusive of the special schools details.

As the Deputy will be 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 educational needs. The NCSE operates within my Department's criteria in allocating such support.

SNAs are allocated to schools to enable them to support pupils with disabilities who also have significant care needs. 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.

I wish to confirm for the Deputy that my Department is very supportive of the SNA scheme. It has been a key factor in both ensuring the successful integration of children with special educational needs into mainstream education and providing support to pupils enrolled in special schools and special classes.

Number of Special Needs Assistants