John Cregan (Limerick West, Fianna Fail)
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Question 62: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Education and Skills the grant aid, entitlements, concessions and supports available from her Department for a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44473/10]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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As the Deputy will be aware, my Department provides a range of teaching and care supports for children of school-going age with special educational needs, including children with dyspraxia. The precise level of support is determined by the special educational needs of the particular child.

Children with dyspraxia may be entitled to additional provision in school, either under the terms of the general allocation system of teaching supports if the educational psychological assessment places the child in the high incidence disability category or through an allocation of additional resources if the child is assessed as being within the low incidence category of special need, as defined by my Department's circular.

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

All schools have the names and contact details of their local SENO. Parents may also contact their local SENO directly to discuss their child's special educational needs, using the contact details available on www.ncse.ie.

I have arranged for the details supplied to be forwarded to the NCSE for their attention and direct reply.

I wish to assure the Deputy that supports will continue to be made available to schools which have enrolled pupils who qualify for such support and children with special educational needs will continue to have access to an appropriate education in line with my Department's policy.

Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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Question 63: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Education and Skills her plans to introduce a scheme for students to transfer resource hour entitlement when moving schools (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44475/10]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) is responsible, through its network of local Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs), for allocating resources to schools to support children with special needs. The NCSE operates within my Department's criteria in allocating such support.

The Deputy will be aware that there is no automatic system of transfer of resources from one school to another. Where a child with special educational needs is in receipt of additional supports in a school and moves school, and no other child with special needs enrols in the school, then the resource – resource teaching hours and/or SNA support – is withdrawn from the first school and, if still warranted by the child's needs, will be sanctioned for the new school.

In considering applications for teaching and SNA supports for individual pupils, the SENOs take account of the needs identified in the professional report and decide whether the circumstances come within the Department's criteria. They then consider the resources available to the school to identify whether additionality is needed or whether the school might reasonably be expected to meet the needs of the pupil from its current level of resources.

All schools have the names and contact details of their local SENO. Parents may also contact their local SENO directly to discuss their child's special educational needs, using the contact details available on www.ncse.ie.

I have arranged for the details supplied to be forwarded to the NCSE for their attention and direct reply.