Vol. 496 No. 6
401 Mr. Flanagan asked the Minister for Education and Science if he has received a report to the effect that a resource teacher is required at Scoil Aongusa, Stradbally, County Laois; if he will make arrangements for this appointment; and when this appointment will be made. [23415/98]
437 Mr. U. Burke asked the Minister for Education and Science the plans, if any, he has to eliminate the local contribution as a requirement for funding of primary schools; if he will appoint remedial and resource teachers to primary level schools in 1999; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23729/98]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 401 and 437 together.
I am aware of the case made for a resource teacher by the school to which Deputy Flanagan refers.
I recently announced a major new initiative in the special education area under which all children assessed as having special educational needs will be entitled to an automatic response to those needs. The level and nature of the response in each case will depend on the assessed needs of the child or group of children involved. The response may take the form of a full or part-time resource teacher allocation or child care support or both, depending on the number of children involved and the nature of their needs.
The school to which Deputy Flanagan refers is one of a number of schools which have applied to my Department for the services of a resource teacher. All such applications will now be considered in the context of this new arrangement and I would expect that additional resource teacher allocations will commence in the near future and continue through 1999.
My capacity to allocate additional remedial teacher posts in any year is dependent on resource availability and the level of competing demand from other special needs areas. I allocated an additional 60 remedial teacher posts with effect from September 1998. The number of remedial teachers in place in the primary system now stands at 1,302. I will continue to review needs in this area and it would be my intention to continue the development of the remedial teacher service so as to ensure that all pupils with a remedial need have access to the service.
Officials in my Department are currently examining all aspects of the local contribution. When that review has been completed, I will be in a position to make any necessary decisions on the future of the local contribution.
