Joe Carey (Clare, Fine Gael)
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89. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if a reply will issue to a query (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22423/19]

Joe McHugh (Donegal, Fine Gael)
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The National Council for Special education (NCSE), an independent agency of my Department, is responsible for planning, coordinating and advising on education provision for children with special educational needs. This includes taking account of the flow of students from primary into post primary. The NCSE ensures that schools in an area can, between them, cater for all children who have been identified as needing special class placements.

Individual school boards of management are responsible for the establishment of special classes. It is open to any school to make an application to the NCSE to establish a special class. In deciding where to establish a special class in an area, the NCSE take account of the current and projected demand and the available school accommodation both current and planned. In this regard, the SENO may approach individual schools to discuss the matter with a view to finding the optimal location in terms of convenience and sustainability.

Since 2011, the NCSE has increased the number of special classes from 548 in 2011 to 1,459 across the country now, of which 1,196 are Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) special classes.

There are 37 special classes attached to mainstream schools in Co. Clare. Of these, 2 are ASD early intervention classes, 20 are primary ASD classes and 7 are post primary ASD classes. The number of ASD special classes in Co. Clare has increased from 5 in 2011/2012 to 29 in 2018/2019.

Details of all special classes for children with special educational needs are available by county on the NCSE website .

The NCSE has informed my Department that they intend to establish over 175 new special classes of which approx. 165 are new ASD special classes nationally for 2019/20 school year to meet currently identified need.

When the NCSE sanction a special class in a school, the school can apply to my Department for capital funding to re-configure existing spaces within the school building to accommodate the class and/or to construct additional accommodation.

Special Education Needs Organisers (SENOs) who are locally based are available to assist and advise parents whose children have special needs. Where Parents have been unsuccessful in enrolling their child in a school, they should update their local SENO to inform the planning process.

SENOs are also available to assist and advise schools on special education supports and planning.

The NCSE have advised that there are currently no pupils without a placement option in the area referred to by the Deputy.

From time to time, the NCSE identifies local areas where additional special class provision is required.

In those circumstances, the NCSE and the Department are actively engaging with schools, patrons bodies, parents and others stakeholders to bring the required additional special class placements on stream.

Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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90. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if speech and language hours will be allocated to a person (details supplied). [22466/19]

Joe McHugh (Donegal, Fine Gael)
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Speech and Language Therapy Services are under the remit of my colleague, the Minister for Health and the service is provided by the Health Service Executive (HSE). Questions in relation to the provision of speech and language therapy services should therefore be referred to the Department of Health and the HSE.

The Deputy will be aware that a demonstration project to provide in-school and pre-school therapy services has been introduced for the 2018/19 school year.

The demonstration project has been developed by a Working Group which includes representatives from the Departments of Education, Children and Youth Affairs, Health, and the Health Service Executive (HSE).

The project is being managed and co-ordinated by the National Council for Special Education with clinical support also being provided by two HSE Therapy Managers which have been assigned to the project.

The purpose of the project is to test a model of tailored therapeutic supports that allows for early intervention in terms of providing speech and language and occupational therapy within ‘educational settings’. This innovative pilot will complement existing HSE funded provision of essential therapy services.

The project is taking place in Community Healthcare Organisation (CHO) 7 Region of South West Dublin, Kildare, and West Wicklow.

This region has been selected to ensure that the pre-school and in-school therapy model can be tested in both urban and rural locations and with a suitable mix of various types of schools and pre-schools.

75 schools, including a representative sample of primary, post primary, and special schools are taking part in the project.

75 Pre-school settings associated with primary schools participating in the project are being included in order to provide for therapy interventions to be made at the earliest possible time and to create linkages between pre-school and primary school provision.

In total, 150 settings are participating in the demonstration project.

The list of the participating schools and pre-schools has been published on my Departments website.

As the project has been taking place in the region of South West Dublin, Kildare, and West Wicklow, only schools from this area could be selected for participation in the demonstration project.

Decisions in relation to the extension of the service to other areas or Counties will be taken following an evaluation of the pilot phase.

In the interim, children who require speech and language therapy services and who are not attending one of the pilot schools will continue access services from the Health Service Executive.