John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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38. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he will arrange for a full-time special needs assistant to be approved in the case of a person (details supplied) in County Carlow; if he will expedite same. [24023/14]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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I wish to advise the Deputy that the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) is responsible, through its network of local Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs) for allocating resource teachers and Special Needs Assistants (SNAs) to schools to support children with special educational needs. The NCSE operates within my Department's criteria in allocating such support.

The NCSE invited schools to make applications for SNA and resource teaching support for children who have assessed care needs for the coming 2014/15 school year by 26th March 2014, for their consideration.

The NCSE are currently considering all of the applications for support which have been received, including those which have been received after the 26th March, and will advise schools of the outcome of their applications ahead of the new school year.