Pearse Doherty (Donegal South West, Sinn Fein)
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Question 157: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the total number of places in primary schools and secondary schools in Clondalkin, Lucan and Palmerstown for children diagnosed with autism for the school year commencing in 2012; if the number of available places meets the needs for children diagnosed with autism in these areas; if he has any plans to increase the availability of funding to ensure an adequate provision of school places in these areas; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36285/12]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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The Deputy will be aware of the Government's ongoing commitment to ensuring that all children with special educational needs, including those with autism, can have access to an education appropriate to their needs. Many children with autism are fully integrated into mainstream classes. The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) provides additional resource teaching hours and special needs assistant support to schools in respect of fully integrated enrolled students with autism.

Some students with autism require further support in school. The establishment of a network of autism-specific special classes in schools across the country to cater for these children with autism has been a key educational priority in recent years. My Department supports provision in mainstream schools, some 540 special classes for autism attached to mainstream and special schools and 18 special schools for children with autism throughout the State which cater for the educational needs of over 5,000 children with autism. These figures include101 classes for autism in Co. Dublin. The NCSE will continue to establish more classes as required.

The Deputy will be aware that the NCSE is responsible, through its network of local Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs), for processing applications from primary, special and post primary schools for special needs supports on the basis of applications in respect of individual pupils. The SENOs operate within the policy outlined in my Department's circulars for allocating such support.

Each SENO works in an assigned local area with parents, schools, teachers, psychologists, health professionals and other staff who are involved in the provision of services in that area for children with special educational needs. All schools have contact details of their local SENO. It is also open to parents to contact their local SENO directly to discuss their child's special educational needs.

I have arranged for the issues raised by the Deputy to be forwarded to the NCSE for their direct attention and reply.