Cecilia Keaveney
Question:134 Cecilia Keaveney asked the Minister for Education the steps, if any, she will take to provide classroom assistants for those children needing special care; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [21261/96]
Written Answers. - Classroom Assistants.
My capacity to allocate child care assistant posts in any year is determined by resource availability in that year and the level of competing demand in other special needs areas. At present, I have no proposals to allocate further child care assistant posts to schools.
Since taking office in 1993, I have allocated 212 additional child care assistant posts. The total number of such posts now in place is 288. This includes 56 posts which have been allocated under the early start pre-school programme. I consider that the substantial improvements which I have already achieved in this area provide practical confirmation of my commitment to the needs of the children in question.
I will continue to review needs in this area and consider how best these needs can be addressed within available resources.