Vol. 539 No. 1
400 Mr. Creed asked the Minister for Education and Science if he will significantly increase the block grant of £250 for learning support teachers where these teachers are providing a service to a cluster of schools; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18594/01]
The grant referred to by the Deputy is paid to schools on an annual basis and was increased in the current school year from £200 to £250 per annum.
In June 2000 my Department allocated an information technology grant of £700 under the IT 2000 project to all schools which have the service of a full-time learning support and/or resource teacher. This funding was intended to facilitate the purchase of relevant hardware/software items by the teachers in question to assist them in catering for children with special needs.
In addition, in the context of last December's budget, I secured an additional allocation of £1.75 million to fund the purchase of computers and computer aids for children with special needs in special schools, special classes and in integrated settings. This brings the total funding available in this area to £2.7 million and represents an increase of more than 100%. Since 1998, all publicly funded first and second level schools have received funding for the purchase of computer equipment under the IT 2000 project.
I intend to keep the deployment of necessary resources for schools, including learning support teachers and for pupils with special needs under regular review.
