Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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277. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills when a person (details supplied) will be provided with a special needs assistant; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18257/17]

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.

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 atwww.education.ie,in order that students who have care needs can access SNA support as and when it is needed. 

Responsibility for deciding on the quantum of educational supports and resources to be allocated to schools to support individual pupils rests with the NCSE. It should be noted that SNA allocations are not made to individual children, but are made to schools to support the care needs of children with assessed special educational needs in the school.

The local SENO is available to discuss any concerns that parents have about the present or future educational needs of their child. All schools have the contact details of their local SENO. Contact details are also available on the NCSE website at www.ncse.ie.

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