Paul McAuliffe (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail)
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380. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will review salaries of communication supports who are assigned to children in both primary and secondary school (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39599/20]

Josepha Madigan (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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My Department has allocated a post to a small number of schools who have students enrolled with significant hearing impairments as confirmed by professional reports. The post holder is required to have relevant professional qualifications. They are employed on similar terms and conditions to SNAs and there are no plans to review this matter at present. The purpose of these posts is to enable these students attend school and access the curriculum.

The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) published the Comprehensive Review of the SNA Scheme on 30th May 2018 and the Government has noted the contents of the report. The report recommends that Irish Sign Language (ISL) qualified assistants should be put in place to support profoundly deaf students whose primary language is ISL and that this should be aligned to the requirements of the Irish Sign Language Act 2017. This recommendation is under consideration at present.

The commencement of Section 5 of the Irish Sign Language Act, 2017, will be implemented in the near future and it is anticipated that a scheme will be established to provide Irish Sign Language support for the children and young people attending recognised schools. It will take some time to introduce and implement this ISL scheme.

In the interim these posts are filled, on a case by case basis, through the NCSE to allocate an additional SNA post with appropriate ISL qualifications.