Jonathan O'Brien (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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115. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of children who have moved from a special needs unit to mainstream education and have sought a special needs assistant but have not been provided with one over the past year. [50105/13]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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The NCSE is responsible for allocating SNA support to schools, taking into account the assessed care needs of qualifying children. Access to SNA support is sanctioned based on a child's assessed continuing care needs, regardless of whether they attend a special needs unit or a mainstream school setting. I am advised by the NCSE that they do not retain the data requested by the Deputy.

The policy of this Government is to ensure that every child who is assessed as needing SNA support receives access to such support. Provision continues to be made for 10,575 SNA posts this year. There has been no reduction to the number of SNA posts available. Where pupils may have developed greater independent living skills, or have diminishing care needs, SNA allocations may be reduced. However, this would be based on the level of ongoing care needs and not on the educational setting.