Eoghan Kenny (Cork North-Central, Labour)
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881. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of special needs assistant posts currently remain unfilled, for each county, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45986/25]

Michael Moynihan (Cork North-West, Fianna Fail)
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Enabling children with special educational needs to receive an appropriate education is a priority for this government. It is also a key priority for me, my department and for the National Council for Special Education (NCSE).

By the end of this year there will be close to 21,000 special educational teacher and over 23,000 special needs assistant (SNAs) posts in our mainstream classes, special classes and special schools. This will mean we will have over 44,000 teachers and SNAs working in our education system committed to supporting and nurturing children with special educational needs, enabling them to achieve their best outcomes and reach their full potential.

When the NCSE allocates a SNA post, the board of management as the employer, is responsible for filling the vacancy. Schools therefore have the autonomy to employ a full time SNA to fill a full-time post or to employ an equivalent number of part time SNAs. The information requested is therefore held at a local level.

The NCSE has published the SNA allocations for the 2025/26 school year. For ease of reference these allocations are broken down by school type and by county and are available on the NCSE's website.