Thomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

294. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of hours that constitute a full-time working week for a special needs assistant. [9831/17]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

Special Needs Assistants contracts define working hours as normal classroom hours including class break periods, attendance before and after school in order to help with preparation and tidying up of classrooms, reception and dispersal of children etc.  The contract will set the normal working hours of the school daily during term time.  These times are agreed locally by the school management and will vary from school to school depending on the requirements of the school.  This contract was nationally agreed by this Department, the Trade Unions and the Management Bodies in 2005.  It was designed to be deliberately flexible to cater for the totally different spectrum of working hours across all the various schools including primary, post-primary and special schools.

Special Needs Assistants are required to be available for a number of days at the start and finish of each school term not exceeding 12 in total.  Under the Croke Park Agreement and continuing under the Lansdowne Road Agreement it was agreed to introduce greater flexibility to the use of these 12 days.  These 12 days now equate to 72 hours (pro-rata for part-time SNAs) to be used by schools as an additional bank of hours to be utilised and delivered outside of normal school opening hours and / or the normal school year.

 SNAs who are employed in a part-time capacity are paid a pro-rata amount dependent upon their level of hours of employment.  Part-time SNAs are paid on the agreed divisor rate for pay purposes for SNAs which is 32 hours.

Further information relating to SNA recruitment, qualifications and terms and conditions are available on my Department's website www.education.gov.ie