Jonathan O'Brien (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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240. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills his plans to introduce a qualification criterion for teachers working with pupils with special educational needs. [50600/13]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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The Deputy will be aware of this Government's ongoing commitment to ensuring that all children with special educational needs can have access to an education appropriate to their needs. My Department recognises that specialised training and continued professional development (CPD) is important for staff working with children with special educational needs and supports the provision of CPD through the Special Education Support Service (SESS) which was specifically established for this purpose. The SESS co-ordinates and delivers a range of professional development initiatives and support structures for school personnel working with students with special educational needs.

My Department also funds a number of Post-Graduate Programmes for teachers involved in Learning Support and Special Education. These programmes are specifically designed to assist all schools and educational services in meeting the needs of students requiring learning support and the teaching of students with special educational needs. Since 2007, some 2,000 teachers have completed these programmes.

In relation to initial teacher education, while special education has long been a feature of initial teacher education (ITE) programmes, the Teaching Council, the body with statutory authority and responsibility for the registration of teachers, requires ITE programmes, all of which are currently being reconceptualised and extended, to address a number of specific elements including literacy and numeracy, differentiation and Inclusive Education including Special Education to assist student teachers in meeting the diversity of students in today's inclusive classrooms.

It has been the policy of my Department for some time that only qualified and registered teachers should be employed by schools. Current recruitment procedures direct schools to ensure that teachers proposed for appointment to publicly paid posts must be registered with the Teaching Council and have qualifications appropriate to the sector and suitable to the post for which they are proposed. Further guidance for schools on the organisation of Learning Support/Resource Teachers posts is provided in my Department's Circular SP ED 02/05: Organisation of Teaching Resources for Pupils who need Additional Support in Mainstream Primary Schools. In making policy in this area, my Department is informed by a range of sources including the Inspectorate, the NCSE and the Teaching Council. There are no plans to make changes along the lines suggested by the Deputy.