Vol. 529 No. 1
1168 Mr. McGuinness asked the Minister for Education and Science the progress in relation to the appointment of a full-time classroom assistant at Gael Scoil, Kilkenny; the reasons the Department has not responded to or acknowledged a request from the school for a further five classroom assistants; if these assistants will be appointed immediately; the timeframe involved; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1316/01]
I assure the Deputy that I share his concern at the delay which has occurred in responding to the request for classroom assistant support from the school in question. This resulted from the unprecedented volume of applications for special support with which my Department has had to deal in recent times. The level of development which has taken place in this area is reflected in the fact that over the past year the number of resource teachers in the system has increased from 329 to 742 and the number of special needs assistants has increased from 937 to 1,629.
While I am particularly pleased with this growth in special education services, I am also concerned to expedite the delivery of such services to ensure that all children with special needs receive the support they require on a timely basis. My Department is currently reviewing its procedures in this area to ensure that no undue delays take place in the future.
My Department's inspectorate is reviewing the level of special needs assistant support required by the school in question. I have asked that this review be completed as speedily as possible. My Department will be in contact with the school as soon as the inspectorate has reported.
