Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick, Fine Gael)
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433. To ask the Minister for Health the areas of the country in which the Health Service Executive provides funding towards the provision of special needs assistance support; and if the support is provided directly by the executive or through a third party. [24756/15]

Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick, Fine Gael)
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434. To ask the Minister for Health if he will confirm that the Health Service Executive plans to continue the provision of funding for special needs assistance support on an ad hoc basis, or to introduce a fair, transparent, nationwide system, that is in keeping with the principles of the Progressing Disability Services Strategy. [24757/15]

Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick, Fine Gael)
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454. To ask the Minister for Health if the Health Service Executive provides funding for the provision of special needs assistants; if so, if he will provide details of the basis on which funding is allocated; if he will provide in tabular form, by county, for 2014, the number of special needs assistants funded by the executive; the number funded in each county; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24894/15]

Kathleen Lynch (Cork North Central, Labour)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 433, 434 and 454 together.

The Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) Programme, which is the responsibility of my colleague, the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, provides for a free pre-school year to eligible children in the year before they commence primary school. The objective of this scheme is to support early learning in a formal setting in advance of starting school. I understand that certain flexibilities are built into the scheme in an effort to accommodate children with special needs, such as an overage exemption, or waiver, for children with special needs who do not meet the age criteria and the option to avail of the free pre-school year over two years.

The Health Service Executive has no statutory obligation to provide assistant supports for children with special needs wishing to avail of the free pre-school year. However, the HSE does work at local level and in partnership with the relevant disability service providers to address individual needs as they arise. This is done, for example, by funding special pre-schools that cater specifically for children with disabilities. In some limited cases at local level, disability services have also facilitated children with disabilities to attend mainstream pre-schools by providing assistant supports where possible and where resources are available. The provision of such pre-school assistant supports should not be confused with Special Needs Assistants who are funded by the Department of Education and Skills to support children with special educational needs in primary and post-primary school settings.

The Better Outcomes, Brighter Futureschildren and young people's policy framework that has been developed by the Department of Children and Youth Affairs contains a commitment to develop a plan for the inclusion of children with a disability in mainstream pre-school and early years settings. The Department of Children and Youth Affairs has lead responsibility for the implementation of this commitment and over the summer months will coordinate an intensive process of deliberation and appropriate consultation in conjunction with my Department and the Department of Education and Skills to develop a cross-Departmentally supported proposal for an appropriate model for supports to pre-school children with special needs.

Within this context, I have asked the HSE to respond directly to the Deputy in relation to the operational information he has requested insofar as this is available. If you have not received a reply from the HSE within 15 working days please contact my Private Office and they will follow up the matter with them.