Sorca Clarke (Longford-Westmeath, Sinn Fein)
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475. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if it is the intention to increase the grant payment for behavioural support to a school (details supplied) given that this post is not considered a public service post and has not increased in 17 years while school employees such as SNAs and teaching staff are due to receive a 6-7% pay increase in the coming 12 months. [51958/22]

Sorca Clarke (Longford-Westmeath, Sinn Fein)
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476. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if it is the intention of her Department to fund the position of behavioural analyst for a school (details supplied) after June 2023 when the current contract is due to expire; and the amendments or considerations that have been given to ensure that the notification date of rolling contracts forward is made to the school at an earlier point in the year to allow for planning by the school. [51959/22]

Josepha Madigan (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 475 and 476 together.

I would like to thank the Deputy for the question and would like to advise the following:

Enabling children with special educational needs to receive an education is a priority for this Government.

For 2022, my Department will spend in excess of €2 Billion, or over 25% of the Department’s budget on providing a wide range of schemes and supports for children with special educational needs.

For 2023, this spend will be substantially increased by over 10%, meaning that for 2023 my Department will spend over €2.6 billion on special education.

This level of educational funding and support is unprecedented and represents in excess of 27% of the Department’s total allocation for 2023.

This includes additional teaching and care supports. It also includes funding for the National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) for an additional 54 psychologists to provide services to special schools and special classes.

In 2022, funding for an additional 980 teachers and 1,165 special needs assistants was provided. For 2023, the number of teaching and SNA posts in our schools will increase with an additional 686 teachers and a further 1,194 special needs assistants in our schools next year.

For the first time ever we will have over 19,000 teachers working in the area of special education and over 20,000 Special needs assistants. Together we have almost 40,000 qualified and committed people in our schools who are focused wholly and exclusively on supporting children with special educational needs.

The Deputy may be aware that my Department previously funded 13 centres through an ABA pilot scheme for the period 1999-2011. All of these centres applied for and were granted recognition as Special Schools for children with Autism and now form part of the network of special schools. A transitional agreement was put in place between the Department and Patrons of these schools to manage this process.

As part of the transitional agreement my Department continues to provide grant funding to these schools to engage behaviour practitioners. This arrangement has been extended for the 2022/23 school year. There are no plans to increase this grant payment.