Josepha Madigan (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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I would like to thank the Deputy for the question and advise that the provision of education for children with special needs is a priority for Government and for me as Minister for Special Education and Inclusion. This is reflected in my Department’s 2023 budget allocation of more than €2.6 billion to support special education. This level of educational funding and support is unprecedented and represents in excess of 27% of the Department of Education’s total allocation for 2023.

Special Needs Assistants (SNAs) provide schools with additional adult support staff to assist children with additional care needs. Such support is provided in order to facilitate attendance by 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.

My department has allocated 1165 additional SNA’s to schools in the past year and in Budget 2023 an additional 1194 SNA’s are being provided to support schools and will be allocated as follows: 735 to support students in new special classes, 124 to support students in new special school places and 335 to support students in mainstream classes.

For the first time ever we will have over 20,000 Special needs assistants in schools in 2023.

The Special Needs Assistant (SNA) allocations for the 2023/2024 school year are presently being development by my department and will be advised to schools as soon as possible and in line with previous year timelines.

David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
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153. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will permit the opening of a third ASD unit at a school (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [11732/23]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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I can confirm to the Deputy, that my Department is in receipt of an application from the school in question, under my Department's Additional School Accommodation (ASA) scheme.

My Department's Planning and Building Unit is currently assessing its work programme and priorities for 2023 in the context of its available funding.  My Department's published NDP allocation for 2023 is €0.86 billion.  High construction inflation remains a continuing feature of the construction sector for 2023.  As part of its planning ahead for 2023, my Department is engaging with the Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform in relation to capital funding pressures in order to continue to be able to adequately support the operation of the school system with rollout of school building projects to construction in 2023. 

Key priorities for my Department's work programme include continuing strong delivery to support the operation of the school system with particular regard to planning ahead for the 2023/24 school year and beyond and also with particular regard to supporting special needs provision. The school to which the Deputy refers is among the many school accommodation needs across the country being considered as part of this process.

My Department will be in further contact with the school authorities in due course.