Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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526. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the additional cost of giving full effect to the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs Act 2004. [40325/15]

Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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527. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the full-year additional cost of giving full effect to those provisions of the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs Act 2004 that provide for individual education plans. [40326/15]

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 526 and 527 together.

I wish to advise the Deputy that a number of sections of the EPSEN Act have been commenced, including those establishing the National Council for Special Education and those promoting an inclusive approach to education of children.

In light of the very difficult economic situation and the significant costs involved in fully implementing the EPSEN Act, the previous Government deferred the full implementation of Act.

The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) published a Plan for the Implementation the Education of Persons with Special Educational Needs (EPSEN) Act in 2006. This report, which is available at www.ncse.ie, made recommendations which suggested that additional investment over a period of years of up to €235m per annum, across the education and health sectors, would be required to fully implement the EPSEN Act.

My Department's opinion is that the level of investment required would be greater than that envisaged in the NCSE report. However, a total estimate of this amount has not been quantified. Further consideration of this issue would also have to take account of pricing adjustments in the period since the publication of the NCSE report.

I wish to advise the Deputy also that, at present, all schools are encouraged to use Education Plans. The Departmental Inspectorates' advice is that the majority of schools are now using some form of individual education planning for children with special needs. In line with Circular 30/2014, schools are required to put in place a Personal Pupil Plan including a care plan for all pupils availing of SNA support.

While awaiting the full implementation of the EPSEN Act, the NCSE has published a number of policy advice papers which make recommendations aimed at developing a better or more effective alternative to the current resource allocation model, and which aims to move the system towards ultimate implementation of the EPSEN Act.

These reports include the NCSE policy advice on Support Students with Special Educational Needs in Schools (2013) and The Report of the Working Group on a Proposed New Model for Allocating Teaching Resources for pupils with Special Educational Needs (2014).

It is intended to bring into effect many of the good ideas contained in the EPSEN Act, on a non-statutory basis initially, through policy developments across a range of areas, in conjunction with NCSE policy advice.