Cathal Crowe (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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158. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the reason a special needs assistant (details supplied) is not on a permanent contract despite being the school’s sole special needs assistant, having been employed there for 24 years; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37376/24]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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As the Deputy will be aware, the number of SNA posts allocated to a school in any individual school year is a matter for the Special Educational Needs Officer (SENO) and that function resides within the National Council for Special Education (NCSE). The number of standard SNA posts varies according to the requirements of each individual school population: these requirements will change from year to year, as the student population changes and as the needs of students within that cohort may change according to factors such as treatment interventions and supports external to the school environment. Therefore, it is not possible to guarantee that a standard post will be available to each SNA currently employed, even where there is only one SNA currently employed.I want to assure the Deputy that my Department is very aware of the importance of the SNA role in our education system, supporting the inclusion of students with additional care needs in education. In this regard, in December 2022, my Department established a dedicated SNA Workforce Development Unit in order to ensure that sufficient time and attention is given to the examination of the SNA role in our school system.The Unit is leading on the development of the first Special Needs Assistant Workforce Development Plan. This plan, which has a completion date of September 2025 will introduce policy developments which will bring clarity and direction to the SNA service. The areas of recruitment and redeployment will be considered as part of the overall work undertaken on the plan.The plan will be developed in consultation and collaboration with stakeholders including school leaders and the SNAs, giving all parties an opportunity to provide input and share views on the future development and direction of the SNA service.