Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 1 October 2013
259. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will outline in tabular form the amount of funding given to special schools and to mainstream schools with special classes in each year since the funding was introduced; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40761/13]
View answer260. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of special schools in the country. [40762/13]
View answer261. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of mainstream schools with special classes in the country. [40763/13]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 259 to 261, inclusive, together.
I wish to advise the Deputy that the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) recently published comprehensive policy advice on Supporting Students with Special Educational Needs in Schools. This policy advice details that there are currently 119 special schools in Ireland. Details of these special schools are provided on a per County basis at Appendix 1, Table 19 of this report, which is available on the NCSE website www.ncse.ie. The NCSE have also published details of the number of special classes which are being provided in mainstream schools for the 2013/14 school year. 740 Special Classes are being provided for mainstream schools for the current school year. This figure includes 118 new special classes which are being opened this year. Details of all these classes, listed on a per county basis, are also available on the NCSE website www.ncse.ie.
I wish to advise the Deputy that Special schools and special classes attached to mainstream schools are funded by a variety of different funding mechanisms, including provision for teaching staff, Special Needs Assistants (SNAs), assistive technology support, building refurbishments, and capitation. The amount of funding provided for special schools and classes therefore varies throughout the year, for example, as new teachers or SNAs are allocated to schools or classes, as new pupils are enrolled, or as new classes are established. Special schools and classes therefore do not receive an annual block funding grant, or an annual allocation of funding. As such, I must advise that the information requested by the Deputy in relation to the funding given to special schools and to special schools with mainstream classes each year is not readily available within my Department.
I wish to advise the Deputy that this Government has defended and maintained provision for special educational spending since coming into office. Some €1.3 billion – will be spent in support of children with Special Educational Needs this year. This level of investment, which represents approximately 15% of the entire educational spend of my Department, is in line with expenditure in recent years and shows that despite the current economic difficulties, funding for special education has not been cut.
