My Department has no plans to assume responsibility as employer for the teachers engaged by the Dyslexia Association of Ireland. Issues relating to the tax affairs are a matter between the Dyslexia Association and the individual teachers concerned. The question of exempting voluntary groups from tax requirements is a matter for the Revenue Commissioners and my Department would have no role in this.
The Deputy may be interested to know that my Department is currently developing a weighted system of allocation of teaching support for schools to cater for pupils with special needs, including those with dyslexia. This system, as part of which an additional 350 teaching posts will be allocated, will involve two main elements: making a staffing allocation to schools based on a predicted incidence of pupils with special educational needs; and making individual allocations in the case of children with more acute lower prevalence special educational needs.
It is expected that the change to a weighted system will bring with it a number of benefits. The new system will: reduce the need for individualised educational psychological assessment; reduce the volume of applications to my Department for additional resources for individual pupils; and give greater flexibility to schools, which will facilitate the development and implementation of improved systems and procedures in schools to meet the needs of pupils with low achievement and pupils with special educational needs.
Transitional arrangements for the introduction of the weighted system are being developed in consultation with representative interests. As soon as those consultations have been completed, the detailed arrangements will be set out in a circular to be issued to schools before the end of the current school year.
