John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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413. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if a preschool special needs assistant will be provided for a child (details supplied) in County Kilkenny. [35813/15]

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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I wish to advise the Deputy that Special Needs Assistants (SNAs) are allocated to Special Schools and to mainstream Primary and Post Primary schools to assist children with special educational needs who also have additional and significant care needs. Such support is provided in order to facilitate the attendance of those pupils at school and also to minimise disruption to class or teaching time for the pupils concerned, or for their peers, and with a view to developing their independent living skills.

Circular 0030/2014, which is available on my Department's website www.education.ie, sets out my Department's policy in relation to the Special Needs Assistant (SNA) scheme. The Circular explains that SNA support is not provided to pre-school services which operate outside of the primary or special school provision other than in early intervention classes in recognised primary schools, or special schools, where support is provided for as part of the schools total quantum of SNA support.

The vast majority of supports for childcare, including pre-school education, is provided by the Department of Children and Youth Affairs. The principal vehicle for the delivery of pre-school education is the free Pre-School Year in Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme which was introduced in January 2010 and provides for early learning in a formal setting to children in the year before they commence primary school.

The Health Service Executive (HSE) currently provides for care support for pupils with special needs attending a range of HSE funded pre-schools. As such, questions relating to provision of such services should be addressed to the HSE, or to my colleague, the Minister for Health.

Finally, I wish to advise the Deputy that an inter-departmental Group, involving officials from my Department, NCSE, Department of Health and the HSE and led by the Department of Children and Youth Affairs, recently produced a Report 'Supporting Access to Free Preschool Year for Children with a Disability. This report is being considered by the Cabinet Subcommittee on Social Policy and Public Service Reform, in the context of the current budgetary process.