Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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Question 61: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills in the context of various Department circulars dealing with the issue, the protections that are in place for existing special needs assistants when the special education needs organiser and or the school decide to reduce an existing special needs assistants hours in order to recruit a new special needs assistant; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24697/12]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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Special need assistants are employed by the managerial authorities of the individual primary and second level schools or by Vocational Education Committees and not my Department. 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 Board or VEC is the SNAs employer and the terms of employment are subject to the conditions of the contract of employment as laid down by my Department. The recruitment and deployment of SNAs within schools are matters for the individual Principal/Board of Management or VEC. However, where a Board or VEC are obliged to reduce the hours of an existing SNA the conditions governing that are currently set out in Departmental Circulars 58/06 and 59/06.