Jackie Cahill (Tipperary, Fianna Fail)
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1004. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will ensure the provision of a special needs assistance for a child (details supplied) with cerebral palsy who has very limited mobility; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29998/22]

Josepha Madigan (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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The availability of SNAs is critical to the inclusion of students with significant care needs in education and in school life. The Special Needs Assistant (SNA) scheme is designed to provide schools with additional adult support staff who can assist children with special educational needs who also have additional and significant care needs. Such support is provided in order to facilitate the attendance of those pupils at school and also to minimise disruption to class or teaching time for the pupils concerned, or for their peers, and with a view to developing their independent living skills.

I can inform the Deputy that schools were notified of the arrangements for the allocation of Special Needs Assistant (SNA) support in respect of students in mainstream classes for the 2022/2023 school year on 31 May 2022. The arrangements include the following provisions:

- SNA allocations for the 2022/23 school year are being maintained at existing levels to give schools clarity and certainty, a process is now available to schools where their change needs have reduced to contact the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) so as to ensure that resources are focused on schools with the greater care needs.

- The exceptional review process can result in an increase or decrease in SNA resources depending on changing care needs in a school.

A process is available where schools can seek a review of their allocations by the National Council for Special Education (NCSE), including the utilisation of their allocations, in circumstances where a school considers that very exceptional circumstances have arisen subsequent to their allocation.

If a school wishes to make an exceptional needs review appeal they may do so at the following link: ncse.ie/for-schools

Schools have maintained their SNA allocations since 2019 and in addition an average of 1,000 SNAs per annum have been allocated to schools since that time in 2020 and again in 2021. This year 1,165 extra SNAs will be allocated to schools for the 2022/23 school year – 620 in special schools and classes and 545 across mainstream setting. This will bring the total of SNAs in our schools to 19,169 – a record number of SNAs supporting children with special educational needs.