Dessie Ellis (Dublin North West, Sinn Fein)
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109. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if special provision will be made for those special needs assistants on income supports who took part in his Department's July provision and are not already in full-time employment in order that payment for this July work for such SNAs will be made promptly and not in November as is the case; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44182/17]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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The July Education Programme is available to all special schools and mainstream primary schools with special classes catering for children with autism that choose to extend their education services through the month of July. The programme is also available for pupils with a severe/profound general learning disability.

Where a school chooses not to extend their services for July, all eligible children are granted home based July provision, on application.

This year's common pay date of 2nd November 2017 was well advertised prior to the start of the July Education Programme.

In 2016 over 8,700 children benefited from the July Education Programme.  This resulted in approximately 8,300 payments being issued.