Joe Higgins (Dublin West, Socialist Party)
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261. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of special needs assistants who have recently lost their jobs that have opted to take a redundancy payment and the number that have opted to join the panel established by his Department. [39721/13]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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Under the terms of Departmental Circular 37/2013 ( ), with effect from 1 May 2013 once an SNA with a minimum of one year's service (Service in a substitute capacity i.e. covering for maternity leave, sick leave, career breaks etc. does not count) 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.

Paragraph 39 of the circular provides an option for SNAs to opt out of the SNA Supplementary Assignment Panel, thereby triggering the processing of their redundancy payment.

As of 20th September 2013, 35 SNAs have submitted forms opting out of the SNA Supplementary Assignment Panel arrangements for the 2013/14 school year. Accordingly, redundancy payments will now be processed for these 35 SNAs.