Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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494. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills to ensure that a school (details supplied) in County Longford retains its complement of special needs assistants until the end of 2016. [5152/16]

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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I wish to advise the Deputy that the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) is responsible, through its network of local Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs) for allocating a quantum of Special Needs Assistant (SNA) support for each school annually, taking into account the assessed care needs of children qualifying for SNA support.

The NCSE operates within my Department's criteria in allocating such support. The criteria by which SNA support is allocated to pupils is set out in my Department's Circular 0030/2014.

It is important to note that each school's allocation of SNA support can change from year to year and may be increased or decreased as students who qualify for SNA support enrol or leave a school. New students with care needs may, or may not, enrol to replace students who have left, for example, or SNA allocations may be decreased where a child's care needs have diminished over time.

To determine SNA supports for the school year 2016/17, all special schools have been requested to provide all available documentation and details for known new entrants to the NCSE by 27th April.

Having considered all of the applications made for SNA support, the NCSE will advise all schools of their SNA allocation for the 2016/17 school year, in advance of the coming school year.

Details of the mechanism for schools/ parents to appeal a decision in relation to the allocation of SNA support by the NCSE are available on the NCSE website at www.ncse.ie.