Thomas Pringle (Donegal, Independent)
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90. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills further to Parliamentary Question No. 271 of 9 May 2023, if she can provide a breakdown by county of where the 160 additional NSCE staff, 686 teachers and 1,194 SNAs will be employed; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25073/23]

Josepha Madigan (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) is responsibe for planning and coordinating school supports for children with special educational needs, including the allocation of Special Teachers and Special Needs Assistants (SNAs). The Department does not have a role in making individual school determinations. The NCSE publishes statistics on their allocations to primary, post primary and special schools in tabular form, by county, for each school year, this information is available on their website, www.ncse.ie.

It remains a priority for my department to ensure that the NCSE agency is properly resourced to have a visible and effective presence in our schools and guiding and supporting our parents and children on their educational journey. The funding announced in budget 2023 will result in an increase of over 50% in staffing levels in the NCSE. This will provide for an additional 161 staff in front line and administrative posts which will ensure the NCSE can continue to deliver to deliver real and meaningful supports for children, families and schools.

The NCSE is currently engaged in an extensive organisational analysis to ensure that the expanded organisation can respond to service demands efficiently and to establish the optimal allocation of resources. This will allow the NCSE to gain a thorough understanding of current demand areas as well as forecast future demand, helping to ensure that staffing can be deployed most responsively to meet current and future requirements for the NCSE's services.