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Special Educational Needs.

Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 13 October 2004

Wednesday, 13 October 2004

Questions (124)

Paul Connaughton

Question:

125 Mr. Connaughton asked the Minister for Education and Science if her attention has been drawn to the fact that the resource teaching hours available to a person with special needs at a school (details supplied) have been reduced from five to 3.5 hours; if her attention has been further drawn to the fact that the assistance of the special needs assistant is not available to this person for the last hour of school each day and that such a decision to curtail services to a special needs person causes great anxiety to the parents and to the teachers who combine to ensure that there is real integration into the ordinary classroom; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24756/04]

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Written answers

Having sought clarification from the Deputy's office about the pupil in question, I can confirm that my Department received an application for a review of special needs assistant, SNA, support for the pupil. At present, my Department is considering the levels and deployment of SNA support in mainstream national schools generally and the application for increased SNA support for the pupil is being considered in this context. A decision on the application will be conveyed to the school as soon as this process has been completed.

My Department reviewed the resource teaching support for the pupil concerned recently. The school was advised on 23 September 2004 that, in line with Department criteria, the appropriate level of resource teaching support for the pupil is 3.5 hours per week.

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