Dáil Éireann debate -
Thursday, 14 Oct 1999

Vol. 509 No. 3

Written Answers. - Special Educational Needs.

Jack Wall

Question:

20 Mr. Wall asked the Minister for Education and Science if he will review arrangements at peak periods at his Department's special education unit; if he will ensure that the serious understaffing of this unit does not allow a repeat of the delays in making arrangements for children with special needs which many parents and pupils endured in 1999; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20188/99]

Minister for Education and Science (Mr. Martin)

I can assure the Deputy that I am aware of the staffing difficulties to which he refers. I am currently in discussion with my colleague, the Minister for Finance, on this and other staffing issues currently arising in my Department. My objective is to ensure that all requests for special education services are responded to as speedily as possible and that the children in question receive the support to which they are entitled without undue delay.

The Deputy will be aware that in November 1998, I announced a major new initiative in the special education area under which all children assessed as having special educational needs are now entitled to an automatic response to those needs. The response may take the form of full-time teaching or child care support, or both, depending on the number of children involved and their special needs. In the context of this new development, my Department has received a substantial number of applications from schools for resource teacher and/or special needs assistant support for pupils with special needs.

To date, as a result of this development, my Department has received approximately 800 applications for special needs assistant support and 580 applications for resource teaching support.

A total of 386 special needs assistant posts have been sanctioned since January 1999 to provide support for individual pupils attending mainstream and special schools. These special needs assistant posts are sanctioned on either a full or part-time basis depending on the special needs of the pupils in question.

Over the same period, a total of 62 full-time resource posts have been sanctioned. A further 1,423 part-time resource teaching hours has been sanctioned for individual children or small groups of special needs children for whom a full-time post would not be warranted. This has resulted in an additional 200 schools having access to resource teaching services.

While these developments represent a major advance in special needs provision, the Deputy will appreciate that there is a significant amount of "catching up" to be done in catering for the many children for whom no support service was provided in the past.

I can assure the Deputy that applications are being processed as speedily as possible within my Department's special education section, having regard to available resources and the need to ensure that each child's application receives appropriate expert attention.

In order to cope with the demand which has arisen, the special education section of my Department has already been allocated eight additional temporary staff.

The review which is currently being undertaken by my Department will identify the extent, if any, to which further resources are required and any necessary measures will be put in place to ensure an effective and efficient level of service delivery in this most important area.