Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Question 82: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the role of the special needs assistant within the education system; the criteria on which special needs assistants are appointed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10041/11]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Question 83: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of special needs assistants currently employed; when the pause in recruitment will be removed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10042/11]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 82 and 83 together.

I wish to advise the Deputy that Special Needs Assistants (SNAs) are allocated to schools to enable them support pupils with an assessed special educational need who also have a significant medical need or a significant impairment of physical or sensory impairment. Students with an assessed special educational need who present with significantly challenging behaviour may also qualify for some SNA support. The qualifying criteria for the allocation of SNA support is outlined in my Department's Circular 07/02.

The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) is responsible, through its network of local Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs) 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, which now includes a requirement for the NCSE to have regard to an overall cap on the number of SNA posts. This number is 10,575 whole time equivalent (WTE) posts. This is a significant number of posts and unlike other areas of the public sector vacancies are being filled up to this number. It also represents continual increases in the number of SNAs over recent years. For example, there were 10,543 WTE SNA posts in place at the end of 2010 and 10,342 at end 2009.

It is considered that with equitable and careful management and distribution of these resources that there should be sufficient posts to provide access to SNA support for all children who require such care support to attend school, in accordance with Departmental criteria. The NCSE has issued a circular to all schools advising of the allocation process for the 2011/2012 school year. A key feature of the amended scheme will be to provide for an annual allocation of Special Needs Assistant support to eligible schools. The NCSE asked schools to submit all applications for SNA support to them by 18th March, 2011 and intend to inform schools of their annual SNA allocation as soon as possible, in advance of the coming school year.

My Department and I will be glad to consider any suggestions from school management or parent representative organisations as to how the allocation of SNA resources can best be managed within the context of the overall limit on SNA numbers established. In this regard I am committed to making whatever improvements are possible to the resource allocation system.