Pearse Doherty (Donegal South West, Sinn Fein)
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Question 37: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he will provide an explanation for the withdrawal of special needs assistant services from a person (details supplied) in County Sligo; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14472/11]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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I wish to advise the Deputy that Special Needs Assistant (SNA) allocations are not permanent, as the level of SNA support allocated to a school may be increased or decreased as pupils who qualify for SNA support enrol or leave a school. They are also decreased where a child's care needs may have diminished over time. 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. This now includes a requirement for the NCSE to have regard to an overall cap on the number of SNA posts. I have referred this query to the NCSE for their consideration and direct reply to the Deputy.