Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent)
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245. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the reason a person (details supplied) does not have a special needs assistant as required; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26655/16]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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The National Council for Special Education (NCSE), which is an independent statutory agency, is responsible, through its network of Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs), for processing applications from schools for special educational needs supports, including SNA support.

Responsibility for deciding on the quantum of educational supports and resources to be allocated to schools to support individual pupils rests with the NCSE. The NCSE allocates SNA support to schools in accordance with the criteria set out in my Department's Circular 0030/2014, which is available on my Department's website at: www.education.ie, in order that students who have care needs can access SNA support as and when it is needed.

Where a school wishes to appeal the SNA support allocation which has been made to them, they may do so through the NCSE appeal process, details of which are set out at www.ncse.ie. The option to invoke the NCSE appeals process is open to the school attended by the child in question. All schools have the contact details of their local SENO. Contact details are also available on the NCSE website at:www.ncse.ie.

The local SENO is available to discuss any concerns that parents have about the present or future educational needs of their child.

As the Deputy may be aware, the Government publicly announced its decision of 14 June 2016 to increase the number of Special Needs Assistant (SNA) posts available for allocation in schools by 860 posts. Also, in keeping with the recommendation of the Focused Policy Assessment, the Government also agreed that the SNA scheme would be comprehensively assessed.

In line with the provisions of Section 20(j) of the Education of Persons with Special Educational Needs Act, 2004, I have requested the NCSE to lead a comprehensive assessment of the SNA scheme, in consultation with other relevant Departments and State Agencies, including the National Disability Authority (NDA). My officials have also asked the NCSE to ensure that bodies representing the interests of SNAs are also fully consulted in this process.

The NCSE has already commenced work in preparation for the assessment and it is expected that with the necessary research and comprehensive consultation it is envisaged that the review would be substantially finalised by the summer of 2017. 

As the question to which the Deputy refers relates to an individual child, the matter has been referred to the NCSE for direct reply.