Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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290. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the extent to which he and his Department continue to try and meet the ongoing requirements in respect of special needs assistants at all levels in all areas throughout the country; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25765/13]

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 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. 10,575 Whole Time Equivalent (WTE) SNA posts are available for allocation to schools by the NCSE throughout the school year, subject to qualifying applications being received. The number of Special Needs Assistant (SNA) posts available for allocation has been maintained at a time when there has been a requirement to make savings across a range of expenditure areas.

The NCSE allocates a level of SNA support for each school annually taking into account the assessed care needs of all of the qualifying children enrolled in the school. SNAs should then 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. All children who have qualified for such support this year have been provided with access to SNA support. The NCSE requested all schools to submit their applications for SNA support for the coming school year to them by 15th March, 2013, and will advise all schools of their SNA allocations prior to the start of the new school year, based on the number of valid applications received. All schools have the names and contact details of their local SENO. 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.