Maureen O'Sullivan (Dublin Central, Independent)
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200. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of deaf children at a primary and post-primary level, who are participating in mainstream integrated education; the number of deaf children who are attending specialist schools for the deaf at a primary and secondary level; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44697/13]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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I wish to advise the Deputy that in line with my Department's policy that children with special educational needs (SEN) access appropriate education intervention in mainstream settings where possible, many deaf/ hard of hearing pupils are integrated into mainstream classes at primary and post-primary level with the assistance, as necessary, of resource teaching and special needs assistant support.

The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) recently published comprehensive policy advice on Supporting Students with Special Educational Needs in Schools. This policy advice is available at www.ncse.ie. This publication provides details of the disabilities which qualify for low-incidence resource hours and also details the approximate number of number of students for whom low incidence resource teaching hours were allocated to schools for the academic year 2012-13. This report details the allocation for resource teaching hours by disability category, and shows that there were 1,110 pupils in mainstream education in receipt of low incidence resource hours with a disability categorisation of Deafness/hearing impairment during the 2012 - 2013 school year. This includes 693 pupils at primary level and 417 pupils at post primary level. There are also 16 special classes for children with hearing impairment attached to mainstream schools, with 10 special classes being attached to mainstream primary schools, and 6 special class at post-primary level.

The pupil teacher ratio for special classes for children who are deaf of hard of hearing is 7-1, which equates to provision for approximately 112 children being supported in special classes in mainstream schools, though the numbers attending special classes may vary throughout the year, as pupils transition between special class and mainstream education. In addition, the report also indicates that for the 2012/13 school year, there were approximately 120 children enrolled in the three special schools for the deaf.

It is clear, therefore, that the majority of pupils who are deaf or hard of hearing are therefore now being educated in mainstream schools, either in mainstream classes with additional supports, or in special classes attached to mainstream schools. Special Needs Assistant (SNA) support is provided in these schools and classes, as required. An enhanced capitation grant is also provided to the special schools and special classes for hearing impaired pupils. Grant-aid is also provided to schools towards the provision of special equipment for pupils who are hard of hearing, such as sound field systems and radio aids.

My Department also provides funding for a weekly home tuition service whereby tutors visit the homes of deaf and hard of hearing preschool children and school-going pupils to provide training in Irish Sign Language (ISL) for these children, their siblings and parents. In addition, the Visiting Teacher Service for Children and Young People with a Hearing Impairment is provided by my Department from the time of referral through to third level education. The Visiting Teacher service provides advice and support to ensure that the needs of children and young people with hearing impairment are met. This service is available at preschool, primary and post-primary levels. Specifically, the service works in partnership with parents of preschool children with hearing impairment, visiting their homes and/or meeting them in groups to inform, advise and offer guidance in matters pertaining to their education and overall development and in helping their children to derive maximum benefit from the educational opportunities available.

Finally, I wish to advise that my Department, through the Higher Education Authority (HEA), has established and funds a Centre for Deaf Studies in Trinity College, Dublin which provides diploma courses for ISL/English interpreters, deaf tutors and in deaf studies. The course modules deal with issues such as sign linguistics, bilingualism and sociolinguistics of sign language. The course is delivered in seminar sessions/group work and the award of the diploma is based on continued assessment and a project and course design.

Maureen O'Sullivan (Dublin Central, Independent)
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201. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of children with special needs who have been able to avail of their legal right to an individual education plan; the level of collaboration between the Health Service Executive and his Department in ensuring that children with additional needs do not miss vital eduction milestones as a result of delays in the diagnosis process; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44698/13]

Maureen O'Sullivan (Dublin Central, Independent)
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202. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he will provide clarity of the rationale for the different entitlement models used between the Department of Health and his Department ; the way the needs based approach used by the Department of Health, which is dependent on an assessment system characterised by delays, is creating delays for access to teaching supports and resources in mainstream education, which in turn is creating potentially unavoidable developmental delays in children who are already marginalised; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44699/13]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 201 and 202 together.

I wish to firstly advise the Deputy that my Department provides for a continuum of special educational provision to be made available for children with special educational needs, so that regardless of the level of need of the child, educational provision can be made for them. My Department provides for a range of placement options and supports for schools which have enrolled pupils with special educational needs in order to ensure that, wherever a child is enrolled, s/he will have access to an appropriate education. These supports include an allocation of additional teaching support as well as additional resource teaching and Special Needs Assistant (SNA) care supports which may be allocated to schools by the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) in respect of qualifying pupils. This facilitates access to individualised education programmes, fully qualified professional teachers, special needs assistants and the appropriate school curriculum.

The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) recently published comprehensive policy advice on Supporting Students with Special Educational Needs in Schools. This policy advice is available at www.ncse.ie. This publication details that for the 2012/13 school year, there were approximately 31,202 pupils in mainstream education in receipt of resource teaching allocations. It also notes that for the 2012/13 school year that there were approximately 3,678 pupils attending special classes attached to mainstream schools, and 7094 pupils attending special schools.

While provision of Individual Education Plans (IEPs) is not currently mandatory, they are recognised as an important feature of good educational practice and schools are encouraged to use IEPs through policy guidance, support, training and inspection. A range of guidance has issued on the use of IEPs, including guidelines published by the NCSE, guidance published by the National Educational Psychology Service (NEPS) and training is provided by my Department's Special Education Support Service. The advice of my Department's Inspectorate is that the majority of schools are now using some form of individual education planning for children with special needs.

I wish to explain also that all primary and post primary schools have access to psychological assessments either directly through the National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS), or through the Scheme for Commissioning Psychological Assessments (SCPA), full details of which are on the Department's website. Where a NEPS psychologist is not assigned to a school, authorities therein may access psychological assessments through SCPA. Under this scheme schools can have an assessment carried out by a member of the panel of private psychologists approved by NEPS, and NEPS will pay the psychologist the fees for this assessment directly.

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

The responsibility for deciding on the quantum of educational resources to be allocated to pupils with special educational needs resides with the NCSE through the SENO.

Assessment reports carried out by relevant professionals are provided by schools to the SENOs as part of the application process for support. The consideration of these reports is an integral part of determining the extent of supports to be provided for pupils with special educational needs.

The NCSE circular 03/08 clarifies the respective roles and functions of the NCSE and the HSE and their respective personnel in carrying out assessments and sanctioning resources to support children with special educational needs. For children under the age of 5, the NCSE, through its network of SENOs, liaises with Assessment Officers in the Health Service Executive (HSE) in respect of the assessment of need process under the 2005 Disability Act, 2005. The Assessment Officer contacts the relevant SENO when an educational need is identified as part of the assessment process. My Department's Circular 0020/2011 further clarifies the roles of the NCSE and the HSE in relation to the assessment of need process, as well as the role of the school in this regard. This Circular is available on my Departments website at www.education.ie.

I wish to advise that my Department will continue to support the co-ordinated delivery of services to families of children with special educational needs and will continue to work with service-providing partners in the health and disability sectors through the interdepartmental Cross-Sectoral Team (comprising of representatives of: the Departments of Education and Skills, Health and Children, the National Council for Special Education and the Health Service Executive), which plans for co-ordinated service delivery across the disability sector.

Finally, I can advise that the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) recently published comprehensive policy advice on Supporting Students with Special Educational Needs in Schools, which is available on its website www.ncse.ie. The report recommends that under a new resource allocation model proposed by the NCSE in the report, children should be allocated additional resources in line with their level of need, rather than by disability category. I have, as suggested by the Report, requested the NCSE to establish a Working Group to develop a proposal, for consideration, for a new model for the allocation of teaching supports for children with Special Educational Needs based on the profiled educational needs of children in schools.