Seán Fleming (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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159. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the cost of employing an additional 350 special needs assistants in schools on an annual basis; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [12206/15]

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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I wish to advise the Deputy that my Government committed, as part of the budget announcements made last year, to provide for 365 new Special Needs Assistant (SNA) posts to support children with special educational needs in schools in 2015.

This increase is additional to the increase of 390 posts which this Government announced in December 2013, which had raised the previous cap from 10,575 available SNA posts to 10,965 posts.

The total number of SNAs available for allocation in 2015 is therefore now 11,330 posts, which is the highest number of SNAs available for allocation that we have ever had. This will ensure that children with special educational care needs can continue to participate in education and be supported in a manner appropriate to their needs.

Based on current average SNA salary costs, the full year cost of employing an additional 350 SNAs in schools would equate to approximately €11.5 million.