Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 23 May 1995

Vol. 453 No. 3

Written Answers. - Disabled Schemes Funding.

Mary Wallace

Question:

143 Miss M. Wallace asked the Minister for Education the amount and nature of all spending within her Department and by bodies under her Department's aegis on schemes specifically directed towards meeting the needs of people with disabilities. [9382/95]

Minister for Education (Ms Bhreathnach)

My Department provides a range of special support services directed at addressing the special educational needs of children with disabilities. The supports in question in the primary and second-level school sectors can take the form of special teaching and other resources. The nature of the supports delivered is determined by the particular needs of the children in question.

In the case of pupils in the primary school sector, the following range of supports were provided and funded by my Department in 1994: 1,526 special teachers employed in 607 special schools and special classes dedicated to the needs of particular groups of children with disabilities; 37 visiting teachers delivering a special support service for children with disabilities attending ordinary schools; 26 resource teachers delivering special back-up support to ordinary teaching staff in meeting the special needs of children with disabilities attending ordinary classes on an integrated basis; 123 child care assistants who assist teaching staff in dealing with the special needs of children with disabilities.

At second level, a total of 78 resource teachers are in place to provide special educational support to children with disabilities.

The total annual salary costs for the above posts is estimated at £33.4 million.

In addition to the above extra staffing supports, the following special measures are funded by my Department: £3,100,000 to cover the cost of part-time teaching schemes which provide supplementary education services to certain children with disabilities; £2.413 million in special capitation funding for pupils attending special schools and special classes; £8 million approximately on special transport services for children with disabilities attending special schools and special classes; £100,000 in grant aid to facilitate the appointment of escorts to accompany certain categories of children on school transport services; £547,000 in grants for the purchase of special equipment to assist children with disabilities; and £452,000 to meet the travel and other costs of the visiting teacher service and the remedial teacher service.

At third level a special fund exists to assist students suffering from physical disabilities. The amount allocated out of this fund in 1994 was £80,000.