Eoghan Murphy (Dublin South East, Fine Gael)
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286. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he will review the following case regarding provision of a special needs assistant (details supplied). [45900/13]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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I wish to advise the Deputy that the National Council for Special Education (NCSE), 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 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.

All schools were advised to apply to the NCSE for resource teaching and SNA support for the 2013/14 school year by 15th March, 2013.

The NCSE published details of all of their allocations for resource teaching and SNA support for the 2013/2014 school year in June of this year.

The NCSE has also now published details of the additional SNA allocations which have been made to schools since the initial allocations were made to schools in June. The NCSE published details of these revised allocations on 21st October, 2013.

These details are now available on the NCSE website, www.ncse.ie, and detail the allocations made for each school on a per county basis

The school referred to by the Deputy currently has 1 approved SNA post.

Schools can contact the NCSE if they have enrolled children who were not considered at the time that the revised SNA allocations were made to schools, or where they are seeking a revision to the quantum of SNA support which has been allocated to them. In general, a revision to SNA allocations will only be made in circumstances where schools have enrolled new pupils, or where schools can demonstrate that they do not have sufficient SNA posts to cater for the care needs of all of the qualifying children in their school.

As the Deputy's question refers to an application for SNA support for an individual child, I have referred the this question to the NCSE for their attention and direct reply to the Deputy.

Tommy Broughan (Dublin North East, Labour)
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287. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills to specify the supports available to autistic children at an early stage of their development, recognising the importance of early intervention for these children; if he will outline how the transition from preschool to primary school is managed so that supports provided at preschool level are maintained when an autistic child progresses to primary school, including the allocation of a special needs assistant to assist the child. [45928/13]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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I wish to advise the Deputy in the first instance that my Department is primarily concerned with the provision of educational services to children with special educational needs. The provision of other supports, for example, therapeutic, speech and language support, occupational therapy, etc. is a matter for the Health Services Executive.

It would be important from the outset to highlight that my Department's policy is focused on ensuring that all children, including those with autism, can have access to an education appropriate to their needs, preferably in school settings through the primary and post primary network. This facilitates access to individual education programmes, fully qualified professional teachers, special needs assistants and the appropriate school curriculum with the option, where possible, of fully/partial integration and integration with other pupils. As each child with autism is unique, it is important that they have access to a range of interventions so that their broader needs can be met.

In terms of the education provision for children who have autism, my Department has always recognised the importance of early intervention. Children with autism can be enrolled in an early intervention class from the age of 3 and there are now some 76 early intervention classes in recognised primary and special schools. The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) will continue to establish further classes where such need has been identified.

My Department's home tuition scheme provides funding for children with autism are unable to access school placements and for children from age 2.5 who are too young to enrol in an early intervention class. Children from the age of 2.5 up to 3 years receive a grant from my Department to provide for 10 hours home tuition per week. Upon reaching the age of 3, and where the child has no school placement, my Department will increase those hours to 20 per week.

Children in early intervention classes benefit from a reduced pupil-teacher ratio of 6:1. Class teachers are fully qualified and have access, through the Special Education Support Service, to training in a range of autism-specific interventions. Each class will have a minimum of 2 Special Needs Assistants. For children enrolled in early intervention classes, my Department also provides for assistive technology, specialist equipment and special school transport arrangements may also be put in place.

My Department is ever conscious of the need to adapt existing policies and to develop new policies. I have recently requested the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) to prepare Policy Advice on the Educational Provision for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders. The NCSE has commissioned research which will not be finalised until mid to late 2014 and I expect that this will inform much of the work in preparing the policy advice. Accordingly, it is not expected that the policy advice will be finalised until early 2015. My Department will be paying particular attention to the provision of early intervention services for children with an autism spectrum disorder.