Martin Ferris (Kerry North-West Limerick, Sinn Fein)
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Question 261: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the reason a person (details supplied) in County Limerick was refused a special needs assistant. [32316/12]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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I wish to advise the Deputy that the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) is responsible, through its network of local Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs), for processing applications from schools for special educational needs supports including resource teaching and Special Needs Assistant (SNA) support, to support children with special educational needs. The NCSE operates within my Department's established criteria for the allocation of such supports and the staffing resources available to my Department.

All schools had been advised to apply to the NCSE for resource teaching and SNA support for the 2012/13 school year by 16th March, 2012 and schools are currently being notified by SENOs of their resource teaching and SNA allocation for 2012/13, based on the number of valid applications received and, in the case of SNA support, the extent of the care needs of qualifying children.

The NCSE may only allocate SNAs to schools where valid applications meet the qualifying criteria.

SNAs should be deployed by schools in a manner which best meets the care support requirements of the children enrolled in the school for whom SNA support has been allocated. It is a matter for schools to allocate support as required, and on the basis of individual need, which allows schools flexibility in how the SNA support is utilised.

The NCSE will have some 264 available posts for allocation throughout the school year in respect of late or emergency cases arising or new diagnoses. It is open to schools to contact their local SENO in this regard, using the contact details available on www.ncse.ie.

Parents may also contact their local SENO directly to discuss their child's special educational needs, using the contact details available on www.ncse.ie.