Vol. 474 No. 3
151 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Education if she will provide a full-time class assistant for a pupil (details supplied) in County Mayo who is attending Saula national school, Achill, County Mayo, who is physically handicapped and who uses a walking aid. [2770/97]
I regret that I am not in a position to provide a full-time class assistant for the child in question. My capacity to allocate such posts in any year is dependent on resource availability and the level of competing demands from other special needs areas.
In the current school year, I have allocated an additional 20 child care assistant posts to the primary sector. All such posts are allocated on the basis of priority of need and to date have been targeted on special schools and special classes catering for children with disabilities. I will continue to review needs in this area and consider how best these needs can be addressed within available resources. The needs of all primary schools, including the school mentioned by the Deputy, will be considered in this context.
