Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent)
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175. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the way in which a person is placed on a supplementary special needs panel (details supplied). [17439/18]

Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent)
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176. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the way in which a special needs assistant who was made redundant in 2017 can apply to be placed on a supplementary panel. [17440/18]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions 175 and 176 together.

The supplementary assignment arrangements for Special Needs Assistants (SNAs) were established on foot of proposals brought forward by the Labour Relations Commission when the Haddington Road Agreement was being agreed. These supplementary assignment arrangements for SNAs continue to operate under the Public Service Stability Agreement 2018 - 2020, and both unions representing SNAs, namely SIPTU and FÓRSA, have signed up to that agreement. As set out in the LRC proposals, the supplementary assignment arrangements for SNAs only apply to current SNAs who are notified that they are to be made redundant. Accordingly, the purpose of these arrangements is to facilitate eligible SNAs who are being made redundant by one employer in filling SNA vacancies that may become available in another school / ETB.

Once an SNA with a minimum of one year's service (service in a substitute capacity i.e. covering for maternity leave, sick leave, career breaks, job-sharing etc. does not count) is notified by his/her employer that s/he is to be made redundant then s/he shall be deemed to be a member of a supplementary assignment panel for SNAs. The detailed supplementary assignment arrangements for SNAs for the 2017/2018 school year are set out in Departmental Circular 0042/2017 which issued on 25 May 2017 and which is available on the Department's website at the following address:

The operation of this panel is described and outlined in Circular 0042/2017 and it is designed to be as flexible as possible which enables all eligible SNAs, who have the requisite Panel Form 1 completed by their former employer, to apply for any SNA position that is advertised by a school or an ETB with no sectoral, diocesan or geographical limitations imposed. Every eligible SNA will remain on the panel for two years with a view to getting further employment. If they are not successful over that period of time in obtaining a further SNA position then they will be eligible for a redundancy payment. Furthermore, an SNA may opt out of this supplementary assignment panel at any point in time triggering the processing of his/her redundancy payment in line with the terms set out in the SNA redundancy scheme (DES Circular 58/06) or any revision of same that is applicable at that time.

It should be noted that this does not prevent any person, including newly qualified SNAs, from applying for SNA vacancies but employers are obliged to give precedence to applicants who are members of the SNA Supplementary Assignment Panel.

The Supplementary Assignment Panel arrangements are reviewed by my Department on an annual basis in conjunction with an independent Supplementary Assignment Manager, the school management bodies and the two unions representing SNA staff (FÓRSA and SIPTU).

My Department has set up a dedicated e-mail address to deal with all queries in relation to the SNA Supplementary Assignment Panel and any queries in respect of the operation of the Panel can be directed to this dedicated e-mail address: snasupplementpanel@education.gov.ie.

Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent)
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177. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills when the 950 jobs for special needs assistants will become available. [17441/18]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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975 additional SNAs posts were made available for allocation to schools from September 2017 which was a 7.5% increase to meet the demands for the 2017/18 school year. This brought the total SNA posts available last September to 13,990.

Financial provision for some 1091 additional SNAs was made in Budget 2018. Of these 130 have been made available for allocation from January to June 2018.  The remaining posts will be required to meet qualifying applications from September to end December 2018.

The total number of SNA posts available currently is 14,120 at a gross annual cost of € 462 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 33% since 2011, when 10,575 posts were available.

Details of SNA allocations which have been made to schools are available on a county by county and individual school basis, on the NCSE website atwww.ncse.ie.

The NCSE are currently processing SNA applications from schools for the coming school year and aims to respond in May 2018 to valid applications for access to SNA support received.