Joe McHugh (Donegal North East, Fine Gael)
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Question 151: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he will address a matter (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14390/11]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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Department Circular 30/2011 sets out the arrangements for the deployment of resource teaching posts in schools for the 2011/12 school year. The purpose of this circular is to inform schools of the arrangements that are being put in place for the 2011/12 school year in respect of their NCSE approved resource hours so that posts are deployed in line with authorised allocations. The Department's approach has allowed schools to roll over all their existing full-time posts on the condition that any surplus capacity in these posts is shared with other local schools. If the roll-over arrangements are not sufficient to meet a school's NCSE approved allocation they must firstly contact their local schools for any surplus capacity and then, if necessary, there is an application process to the Department under the circular. The introduction of a pause, earlier this year, in the processing of applications for resource teaching support for children with special needs was to allow the Department and the NCSE to quantify the level of demand and to devise a revised allocation process to ensure that Employment Control Framework obligations were not breached.

Joe McHugh (Donegal North East, Fine Gael)
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Question 152: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills his views on a matter (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14391/11]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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The Deputy will be aware that participation in my Department's July Provision Scheme is an option for all special schools and mainstream primary schools with special classes catering for children with autism or severe to profound general learning disability that choose to extend their education services through the month of July. Home-based tuition of ten hours per week for the four weeks in question is provided to children who attend schools which choose not to participate in the scheme.

The Deputy will also be aware that educational provision at post primary level for all pupils, including those with special needs, is structured differently to that at primary level, which is one of the reasons the July Provision Scheme is at a pilot stage in a limited number of post-primary schools. However, children eligible for support attending other post-primary schools are allocated ten hours per week home based tuition for the four weeks of July. The Scheme is currently under review and in the interim it has been decided not to expand the current level of provision, which includes limiting the pilot at post-primary level to that of 2009 and 2010.