Finian McGrath (Dublin North Central, Independent)
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162. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if her attention has been drawn to the fact that resource hours do not come from the general allocation allotment, but are provided to special education needs organisers in the National Council for Special Education; if there is no intention of allocating extra hours to children with Down's Syndrome; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8395/15]

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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I wish to advise the Deputy that under the existing allocation system, all pupils with Down's syndrome, including such pupils in the mild range, currently are entitled to receive additional teaching support. Such support is provided either from a school's allocation of Learning Support or Resource Teaching under the General Allocation Model (GAM), or from an allocation of additional resource teacher hours allocated to schools by the NCSE. The General Allocation Model contains provision for resource teaching hours for pupils with mild general learning difficulty and also learning support provision for pupils who have learning needs but who may not have been assessed as having a learning difficulty.

I am aware that some parents, and organisations representing children with Down's syndrome, continue to have concerns that the existing system does not give them certainty as to the number of resource teaching hours that may be allocated to their child under the General Allocation Model, as these hours are distributed locally by schools.

I met with Down Syndrome Ireland, and with some parents of children with Down's syndrome, recently on 19th February. This was an opportunity for me to discuss the concerns that they have regarding the provision of resource teaching support for children with Down's syndrome. I intend to meet with more parents over the coming week or so.

I will consider the issues that have been raised by Down Syndrome Ireland and parents, and will keep the Deputy and the House informed of my developing views on this matter.

Billy Kelleher (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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163. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will review the decision to decline the assistive technology application in respect of a child (details supplied) in County Cork [8406/15]

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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I wish to advise the Deputy that my Department provides funding to schools towards the cost of assistive technology for pupils in Primary, Post-Primary and Special schools for personal computers and specialist software for educational purposes under the Assistive Technology scheme, as set out in my Department's Circular 0010/2013.

This Circular states that equipment is provided under this scheme for children with more complex disabilities who require essential specialist equipment to access the school curriculum, which they do not already have, or which cannot be provided for them through the schools existing provisions.

Following consideration of information which has been provided by the school in relation to the application for equipment for the pupil in question, I can advise the Deputy that the equipment which has been applied for is already available to the pupil. As such, the application does not meet the criteria for the allocation of support under my Department's Assistive Technology scheme.