Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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320. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he will specify the elegibility criteria for joining the special needs assistants supplementary panel for filling permanent posts; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37707/13]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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As the Deputy will be aware, a new set of proposals for a public service agreement were put forward by the Labour Relations Commission which now form the Public Service Stability Agreement 2013-2016 (the Haddington Road Agreement). One aspect of this Agreement relates to supplementary assignment arrangements for Special Needs Assistants (SNAs) and as both Unions that represent SNAs namely, SIPTU and IMPACT, have signed up to the Haddington Road Agreement, the Department has implemented supplementary assignment arrangements for SNAs for the 2013/2014 school year.

The detailed arrangements are set out in Departmental Circular 0037/2013 which issued on 1 July 2013 and which is available on the Department's website at the following address:

With effect from 1 May 2013 once an SNA with a minimum of one year's service is notified by his/her employer that he/she is to be made redundant then he/she shall be deemed to be a member of a Supplementary Assignment Panel for SNAs.