Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent)
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385. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if all autism spectrum disorder units at primary level will employ a special education teacher to ensure that the appropriate skills are available in these units; the number of special education teachers that are currently employed by his Department at primary level; the policy on the employment of special education teachers at primary level; his views on whether the need to have special education teachers available in all primary schools is a vital element in the education of all students with special needs attending mainstream school; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14047/17]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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It has been the policy of my Department for some time that only qualified and registered teachers should be employed by schools. This is set out in Circular Letters 31/2011 and 0025/2013.

Current recruitment procedures require schools to ensure that teachers proposed for appointment to publicly paid posts must be registered with the Teaching Council and have qualifications appropriate to the sector and suitable to the post, including posts in ASD Units, for which they are proposed.

It is a matter for school authorities to employ teachers in accordance with the Department's policy in this regard and the deployment of teaching staff in the school is, in the first instance, a matter for the school management authorities.

Teachers can access additional continuous professional development through a number of means, including the Professional Development Service for Teachers (PDST), which offers professional learning opportunities to teachers and school leaders in a range of pedagogical, curricular and educational areas.

In addition, the Special Educational Support Service (SESS), aims to enhance the quality of learning and teaching in relation to special educational provision. The service co-ordinates, develops and delivers a range of professional development initiatives and support structures for school personnel working with students with special educational needs in mainstream primary and post-primary schools, special schools and special classes.

Funding for special education provision in 2017 will amount to some €1.68 billion, which is equivalent to 19% of the gross overall current allocation for education and training. The funding includes:

- Over 12,500 Learning Support and Resource Teacher posts in mainstream primary and post primary schools for the 2016/2017 school year, providing additional teaching support to pupils with special educational needs.

- Over 1,100 teachers in 125 special schools.

- Over 1,150 special classes (1,150 teacher posts) in place with 150 new Special Classes opening for the 2016/17 school year. This compares to 548 special classes in 2011.

A new model for allocating Special Education Teaching Resources to mainstream primary and post primary schools has been introduced and will commence in schools from September 2017.

An additional 900 teaching posts have been provided to support the introduction of this new allocation model. This substantial additional provision will ensure that:

- Up to 1,000 schools will receive additional allocations, where the new model indicates additional need.

- No school will receive an allocation of resources less than the allocation they received in the 2016/17 school year.

The provision of an additional 900 teaching posts is a very significant investment in the provision of additional teaching support for pupils with special educational needs in schools.

The revised allocations, based on the profiled special education needs of schools issued to schools on 7^thMarch 2017.

A new Circular for Schools issued recently in conjunction with notifications to schools of their allocation for 2017/18, which was issued by NCSE.