Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)
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To ask the Minister for Education and Skills his views on the development of special needs education as it relates to provision at preschool, primary and post primary levels; if he is satisfied that third level institutions are sufficiently attentive to the needs of people with learning difficulties; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46011/12]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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Firstly, I wish to advise the Deputy that the Programme for Government sets out that education will be a priority for this Government and that we will endeavour to protect and enhance the educational experience of children, young people and students. Approximately 15% of the entire budget of my Department – some €1.3 billion – was spent in support of children with Special Educational Needs in 2011. The provision for the current year is in line with expenditure last year and reflects this Government's commitment to prioritising supports for children with special educational needs, at a time when there is a requirement to make expenditure savings across a range of areas.

The vast majority of support for childcare, including pre-school education, is not provided by my Department but is provided by the Department of Children and Youth Affairs. The principal vehicle for delivery of pre-school education is the free Pre-School Year in Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme which was introduced in January 2010 and provides for one year's free pre-school attendance for each eligible child. There is provision under the programme to allow children with special needs to split the pre-school year over two years on a pro-rata basis, availing of the programme for 2 days a week in the first year and for 3 days a week in the second year. The programme also provides for an exemption from the upper age limit for qualification where a child is developmentally delayed and would benefit from starting primary school at a later age.

In relation to Primary and Post Primary provision, I wish to reiterate this Government's commitment to the protection of frontline services for pupils with special educational needs. Significant additional supports will continue to be provided to enable schools to cater for the needs of students with special educational needs, including 10,575 Special Needs Assistants (SNAs); approximately 9,950 learning support/resource teacher posts; over 1,100 teachers in special schools which operate at much reduced pupil: teacher ratios; enhanced levels of school capitation for special schools and special classes; special School Transport arrangements for pupils with disabilities and Assistive Technology support.

In relation to Higher Education, I wish to advise the Deputy that every Higher Education Institution has at least one member of staff with responsibility for liaising with students with disabilities, as required by the Disability Act. This is the minimum however, and in many cases, in particular in the university sector, there are dedicated Disability Support Services with a Head of Service and specialist staff. In addition, a number of Institutes of Technology have both Disability or Learning Support Officers as well as an Access Officer. Institutions are required to have access plans in place to accommodate the groups under-represented in third level institutions, which includes students with a disability, and on that basis progress continues to be made in this area.

Finally, I wish to clarify that the continued commitment of this Government to special education provision, at a time when savings are being required across a range of expenditure areas has ensured that children with special educational needs can continue to have access to educational facilities in line with their requirements.