Finian McGrath (Dublin North Central, Independent)
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To ask the Minister for Education and Skills his views on correspondence (details supplied) regarding cuts in SNAs in the disability sector [43875/12]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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I wish to explain to the Deputy that no reduction has been made to the overall number of Special Needs Assistant (SNA) posts which will be available for allocation to schools for the 2012/13 school year. This is representative of the Governments commitment to protecting services for children with special educational needs, at a time when there has been a requirement to make savings across a range of expenditure areas. Some 10,575 Whole Time Equivalent (WTE) SNA posts have been made available for allocation to schools by the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) throughout the current school year, subject to qualifying applications being received.

The NCSE is responsible, through its network of local Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs), for processing applications from schools for special educational needs supports, including SNA support. The NCSE operates within my Department's established criteria for the allocation of such supports and the staffing resources available to my Department.

In making allocations of SNA support for schools, the NCSE considers all of the applications made by schools for children who have been identified in medical reports as having care needs. The NCSE also reviews any existing SNA provision. In cases where children have diminishing care needs, the NCSE may reduce SNA support for those children.

Where schools have enrolled new pupils with special educational needs who were not considered at the time that the allocations for the 2012/13 school year were made, or where schools are in a position to demonstrate that they cannot cater for the care needs of qualifying children from the level of SNA support which has been assigned to them, they may apply to the NCSE for additional SNA support or for a review of their SNA allocation.