Kathleen Funchion (Carlow-Kilkenny, Sinn Fein)
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11. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the funding and supports that are available to schools to assist with the repair or replacement of equipment in special classrooms, given the exorbitant prices for said equipment; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23857/24]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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Supporting special education needs provision in schools is a priority for my department. This includes the provision of necessary furniture and equipment as part of school building projects and the replacement of existing furniture and equipment as deemed appropriate.

Schools are supported through school furniture frameworks to have sufficient appropriate furniture and equipment to meet the needs of the vast majority of children. However, as the furniture and equipment needs of some children with special education needs are highly sensitive and individualised, the applications for funding are dealt with on a case by case basis. For this small cohort of children, part of the application process requires the submission of an Occupational Therapist’s report which details the individual requirements of a child, and the associated furniture and equipment needs.

The range of grants to support the provision of furniture and equipment for the establishment of new special classes in existing schools includes:

· A grant of €6,500 to cover the start-up cost of furniture and general equipment within an ASD class; and

· A once off grant of €7,000 to cover the start-up cost of furniture and equipment for a multisensory room

My department invested a significant level of funding in furniture and equipment for existing schools in 2023. This investment included expenditure of €5 million on the provision of furniture and equipment for children with special education needs.

In addition to this, schools received more than €4.2 million in 2023 through the Assistive Technology Scheme to support individual pupils who needed essential specialist equipment to access the school curriculum.

My department’s Emergency Works Scheme also provides funding to facilitate infrastructural improvements to ensure inclusion and access for pupils or staff members with additional needs.

The Minor Works Grant provided to primary and special schools is also relevant as it provides flexibility at local level to assist schools to undertake works, or to purchase equipment, that support the operation of the school. Around €29 million issues to primary and special schools under this grant for each school year.

In recent years, my department’s approach has been to pay the Minor Works Grant to schools in advance of the start of the following school year in order to facilitate a better lead in period for schools to plan their use of the funds. The grant for the 2024/2025 school year was paid this April.

Under the scheme, funding is made available to all primary schools on the basis of a €5,500 basic grant plus €18.50 per mainstream pupil and €74 per pupil with special education needs enrolled in the school on the 30th of September of the year prior to the issue of the grant.

Given that each school setting is different, individual schools are best placed to decide how best to use this funding to address their needs.

In addition, a number of measures are in place to support the furniture and equipment needs of schools generally, including grant levels of almost €10,000 per new mainstream class. A review of grant levels, including those related to ASD classes and sensory rooms referenced earlier is currently underway.

In addition to the furniture and equipment supports provided by my Department, there is also a suite of supports for children with special educational needs that are provided by other Departments for example, the Recycle Mobility Programme which is funded by the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth.

If the Deputy has a particular instance of where the provision of equipment has been an issue, I am happy to take the details separately and have officials in my department look into it.