Noel Harrington (Cork South West, Fine Gael)
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Question 163: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he will ensure that a person (details supplied) in Bantry, County Cork who is transferring schools following the amalgamation of two schools will continue to receive the recommended resource hours and other aids proposed by the Health Service Executive and the National Educational Psychological Service; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21864/11]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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The Deputy will be aware that 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. This now includes a requirement for the NCSE to have regard to an overall cap on the number of SNA posts.

In considering applications for teaching and SNA supports for individual pupils, the Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs) take account of the pupils' needs and consider the resources available to the school overall to identify whether additionality is needed or whether the school might reasonably be expected to meet the needs of the pupils from its existing level of resources.

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 SNA support to eligible schools.

The NCSE asked schools to submit all applications for SNA support to them by 18th March, 2011 and are currently in the process of informing schools of their annual SNA allocation for the coming school year.

In relation to the allocation of Resource Teaching hours, an allocation of 90% of valid identified resource teaching allocations has been made by the NCSE to schools for the coming school year, in the first instance, to provide schools with the majority of their allocation, while also preserving enough capacity to deal with late applications and ensure that the Department of Education and Skills can remain within Employment Control Framework obligations.

Schools have been asked to forward as soon as possible any outstanding applications, or additional outstanding materials to support incomplete applications, to the NCSE for consideration, but in any event by no later than 16th September 2011.