Jack Chambers (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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711. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of special needs assistants operating in schools in Dublin 15 in each of the past five school years; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6980/16]

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 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, as set out in my Department's Circular 0030/2014.

In July 2015, 610 additional SNA posts were provided to the end of 2015, while Budget 2016 provided an additional 100 posts to meet additional demand to June 2016, bringing the total SNA number available for allocation to 12,040. This is a higher level of Special Needs Assistant (SNA) support than ever before, which will ensure that children with special educational needs can continue to participate in education and be supported in a manner appropriate to their needs.

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. The deployment of SNAs within schools is then a matter for the individual Principal/Board of Management. SNAs should be deployed by the school in a manner which best meets the care support requirements of the children enrolled in the school for whom SNA support has been allocated. It is a matter for schools to allocate support as required, and on the basis of individual need, which allows schools flexibility in how the SNA support is utilised.

The NCSE has published details of SNA allocations for schools from 2012 to 2015 on its website, which are available to view on a per county basis, including Dublin 15 and can be accessed using the following link: .

I will arrange for the Deputy's request for information relating to 2011 to be forwarded to the NCSE for their attention and direct reply.