Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 18 Jun 2003

Vol. 568 No. 6

Written Answers. - Special Educational Needs.

Seán Crowe

Question:

227 Mr. Crowe asked the Minister for Education and Science the progress which has been made towards the implementation of recommendation number 31 of the report of the action group on access to third level education that his Department put in place a mechanism for systematically collecting information on the number of students with disabilities at second level; the discussions which have taken place around the issue; and when he expects the recommendation to be implemented. [17057/03]

Minister for Education and Science (Mr. N. Dempsey):

I attach significant importance to the issue raised by the Deputy. Access to appropriate data on participation rates by special needs students in the second level system is not only important in the context of third level access. Such data is also essential to the proper planning and development of support services within the second level system itself. From the commencement of the 2003-04 school year, my Department will introduce mechanisms which will facilitate identification of the numbers of students accessing special education services at second level and the nature of the support services made available in such cases. It is also intended that the National Council for Special Education, in consultation with the health authorities, will introduce mechanisms to facilitate the development of a database on all children with special needs seeking access to support services.

The report which my Department commissioned from the Association for Higher Education Access and Disability, AHEAD, on students with disabilities in mainstream second level education will also provide a valuable input into the further development of information systems in the special needs area and its recommendations will be fully considered as part of the ongoing development of the system.

Richard Bruton

Question:

228 Mr. R. Bruton asked the Minister for Education and Science his policy on the transfer of institutions providing for children with special needs from the supervision of the health authorities to his Department, in particular the criteria which he sets for recognition of these centres in relation to staffing qualifications and curriculum; the financial resources he is making available to these centres to train up their staff and adapt their curricula to meet his requirements; the transition arrangements he is putting in place to ensure there is no disruption of services to clients during the transition; and his views on the arrangements he is making to facilitate a smooth transfer in respect of a centre (details supplied) in County Kilkenny. [17058/03]

Minister for Education and Science (Mr. N. Dempsey):

There are no plans to transfer to my Department the responsibility for institutions providing for children with special needs currently under the supervision of the health authorities.

Regarding the specific facility referred to by the Deputy, a meeting was held recently with representatives of the centre to discuss the recognition process for schools. The representatives were advised that recognition as a mainstream school could not be granted since the requirements for curriculum provision and patronage were not being met.

Given the particular emphasis of the school, the representatives acknowledged that it might be more appropriate to apply for recognition as a special school and indicated that they would consider submitting a proposal in this regard to the special education section of my Department. No such proposal has been received to date.

Brian O'Shea

Question:

229 Mr. O'Shea asked the Minister for Education and Science his proposals to provide full information for parents of special needs children in primary school in regard to the services available (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17080/03]

Minister for Education and Science (Mr. N. Dempsey):

Not all schools have access to the full service provided by the national educational psychological service, NEPS. As an interim arrangement, NEPS operates a scheme for commissioning psychological assessments, SCPA. The SCPA allows schools that do not have access to the NEPS service to commission psychological assessments from private practitioners in urgent cases. Full details of the SCPA were issued to all eligible schools and are also available from my Department's website. Regarding the matter of speech and language therapy services, contact should be made with the appropriate health authority.