Aindrias Moynihan (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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696. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the status of an application for a special needs assistant for a person (details supplied) in County Cork. [5910/16]

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) is responsible, through its network of local Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs) for allocating Special Needs Assistants (SNAs) to schools to support children with special educational needs. 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.

All schools were asked to apply for SNA support for the 2016/17 school year by 29th February 2016. SENOs will continue to process applications for access to SNA support which are received after this deadline. Such applications will be processed in the order in which the applications have been received.

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, to the NCSE, is set out on the NCSE website.

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 the NCSE website.

As the matter referred to in this question relates to an SNA allocation for an individual child, I will arrange to have the matter referred to the NCSE for their attention and direct reply to the Deputy.