Since my appointment as Minister for Education I have attached a particular priority to ensuring that all children with special educational needs are adequately catered for.
In pursuing this objective over the past two years I have introduced a comprehensive range of measures targeted specifically at special needs pupils.
Over the period in question, I allocated an additional 186 remedial teachers to ordinary primary schools. This brought the number of such teachers in place to 1,133.
Over the same period, I appointed an additional 20 resource teachers with the role of supporting ordinary teaching staff in meeting the special needs of children with disabilities attending ordinary schools.
I have also substantially increased the special capitation rates paid to special schools and classes dealing with pupils with special needs.