Cecilia Keaveney
Question:12 Cecilia Keaveney asked the Minister for Education the number of classroom assistants currently provided by her Department; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [21197/96]
Written Answers. - Classroom Assistants.
Cecilia Keaveney
Question:41 Cecilia Keaveney asked the Minister for Education the number of children in need of special care who are currently in receipt of a classroom assistant; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [21196/96]
Noel Ahern
Question:44 Mr. N. Ahern asked the Minister for Education the number and location of care or personal assistants placed and paid for by her Department; if she will give a breakdown between special and ordinary national schools; the criteria and numbers of qualifying students necessary in a school to qualify; the number of additional appointments being made in 1996; and when an appointment will be made in St. Patrick's national school, Drumcondra, Dublin 9. [21202/96]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 12, 41 and 44 together.
A total of 232 child care assistants are currently in place in special schools and special classes throughout the country. A further 56 child care assistants have been allocated to schools participating in the early start pre-school pilot project.
The precise number of children currently in receipt of child care assistant support is not readily available to my Department. The posts in question are generally allocated to special schools and special classes to address the needs of groups of children with disabilities. The extent to which individual children in a special school or class require the services of a child care assistant will depend on the nature of the child's disability and is usually determined by school management in consultation with my Department's inspectorate.
I am arranging to forward the specific details sought by Deputy Ahern as soon as possible. Child care assistant posts are allocated on the basis of priority of need. The key consideration is the nature and level of need of the individual children. 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, including the school mentioned by Deputy Ahern.