Pat Deering (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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480. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills when the next round of additional resource hours for primary and post-primary pupils will be made; the number of pupils currently awaiting approval for resource hours, having missed the previous deadline; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [48860/14]

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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I wish to advise the Deputy that all schools have been allocated additional teaching resources to provide for children with special educational or learning support needs through general allocation processes.

Additionally, the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) allocates additional resource teaching hours to schools for children who have been assessed within the low incidence, or more complex, category of special need, as defined by my Department's Circular Sp Ed 02/05. The NCSE operates within my Department's established criteria for the allocation of Special Education supports and the staffing resources available to my Department.

Schools were asked to apply to the NCSE for resource teaching support for the 2014/15 school year by 26 March 2014. In order to meet any late demand for resource teaching support arising between the time that the initial allocation was made and the start of the school year, the NCSE requested all schools to submit outstanding applications to the NCSE by 22nd September, 2014.

Following this second round of resource teaching allocations, the allocation process for the 2014/15 school year has effectively concluded, other than in relation to a small number of emergency cases, or where schools do not have any resource teaching allocation. In such cases, schools who wish to make an application for additional low incidence resource teaching hours may make such an application to the NCSE. In other instances schools should provide support for pupils with newly diagnosed conditions from within their overall resource teaching and learning support allocations, pending notification to schools regarding the 2015/16 allocation process.

It is a matter for schools to monitor and utilise their allocation of additional teaching support to best support the needs of identified pupils, in accordance with my Department's guidance.

All schools have the names and contact details of their local SENO. Parents may also contact their local SENO directly to discuss their child's special educational needs, using the contact details available on www.ncse.ie.