Jonathan O'Brien (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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1324. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the date on which she will publish a plan for the implementation of the EPSEN Act 2004. [33695/14]

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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A significant number of sections of the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs (EPSEN) Act have been commenced, principally those establishing the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) and those promoting an inclusive approach to the education of children with special educational needs.

In light of the very difficult economic situation and the significant costs involved, the previous Government deferred the full implementation of EPSEN.

In 2012, my Department requested the NCSE to provide policy advice on how the education system can best support children with special educational needs.

The NCSE Report on Supporting Children with Special Educational Needs in Schools has now been published and is available on the NCSE website www.ncse.ie.

While the report recommends that the EPSEN Act be fully implemented as soon as possible, the report also states that the NCSE recognises that the current economic climate makes it unlikely that the Government will be able to implement this recommendation in the short to medium term.

While awaiting the full implementation of the EPSEN Act, the NCSE has made a number of recommendations aimed at developing a better or more effective alternative to the current resource allocation model, which aims to move the system towards ultimate implementation of the EPSEN Act.

The NCSE published its Report on a Proposed New Model for Allocating Teachers for Students with Special Educational Needs on 18th June 2014.

The report recommends that all children should be allocated additional resources in line with their level of need, rather than by disability category and a new allocation model should be developed, based on a schools educational profile, while also providing a baseline allocation to every mainstream school in order to support inclusion.

To assist with the process of considering the report recommendations, my Department is currently gathering information required to develop the proposed new model. This will review how the proposed model will impact on schools. There will also be full and comprehensive consultation with stakeholders and education partners, including the parents of special needs children.