Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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684. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of special needs assistants available at primary and secondary levels throughout County Kildare; the extent to which it is expected to augment these numbers, in line with submitted requests from school authorities in the course of the next 12 months; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34677/15]

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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I wish to firstly advise the Deputy that, in July last, I secured Government approval for an additional 610 Special Needs Assistant (SNA) posts which may be made available for allocation to schools to support children with special educational needs with assessed care needs.

This is the highest level of SNA allocation that we have ever had and builds on the increases of 365 additional SNA posts provided for in last year's budget announcement and the 390 additional SNA posts announced in December 2013. In total there has been an increase of 11.7% in SNA posts available for allocation to schools since this Government came to office. 11,940 SNA posts are now available for allocation to schools.

These extra posts will ensure that the Government's policy of ensuring that every child who is assessed as needing SNA support will receive access to such support.

The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) is responsible, through its network of local Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs) for allocating SNAs to schools to support children with special educational needs. The NCSE operates within my Department's criteria in allocating such support which are set out in my Department's Circular 0030/2014.

All schools were asked to apply for SNA support for the 2015/16 school year by 18th March 2015. The NCSE also continued to accept applications after this date in recognition that enrolments may not have been completed or where assessments were not completed.

Details of SNA allocations to schools for 2015/16, including schools in Co. Kildare, are now available on the NCSE website www.ncse.ie.

Schools can contact the NCSE if they have enrolled children who were not considered at the time that the revised SNA allocations were made to schools, or where they are seeking a revision to the quantum of SNA support which has been allocated to them. Details of the manner in which a school or parent may appeal the level of SNA allocation which has been made to support a child in school are set out on the NCSE website at www.ncse.ie.

All schools have the contact details of their local SENO, while 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.