Carol Nolan (Offaly, Sinn Fein)
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98. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills when the allocations for special needs assistants will be made; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31850/17]

Carol Nolan (Offaly, Sinn Fein)
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99. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he will consider making the special needs assistants allocations at an earlier date in future to allow schools, parents and special needs assistants adequate time to plan and prepare children for the upcoming year; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31851/17]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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The Deputy will be aware that this week, I announced that 975 additional SNAs will be available for allocation to schools from September 2017 which is a 7.5% increase to meet the demands for the new school year.

A total of 13,990 SNA posts will now be available at a gross annual cost of €458 million. This is more SNAs than we have ever had previously and will ensure that all children who qualify for SNA support can continue to receive access to such support. In total, the number of SNAs available has increased by over 32% since 2011, when 10,575 posts were available.

The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) has advised all schools of their allocations for SNA support for the coming 2017/18 school year. Details of the allocations which have been made to schools have now been published on www.ncse.ie.

Where a school wishes to make an application for SNA support in respect of a child who was not considered as part of this allocation process they may continue to make such applications to the NCSE.

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 .

In response to a progress report from the NCSE on the comprehensive review it is undertaking of the SNA Scheme, I have requested the National Council for Special Education to establish a working group, comprising relevant stakeholders, to assist in proposing an alternate and improved model for providing care supports so as to provide better outcomes for students with special educational needs who have additional care needs.

This Working Group will commence its work upon its appointment and the work will run in tandem with the completion of the Comprehensive Review of the SNA Scheme. It is intended that the reports of the Working group and of the Review will be completed early in 2018.