Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 29 May 2014
75. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Education and Skills the extent to which teacher numbers, including special needs teachers and special needs assistants, in the various schools throughout north Kildare remain adequate to meet requirements; if he expects to augment such numbers in the short and medium term; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23630/14]
View answerThe criteria used for the allocation of teachers to primary and post-primary schools, including redeployment arrangements, are published annually. The staffing and redeployment arrangements for the 2014/15 school year are available on the Department website. Teaching vacancies are filled in the first instance through the redeployment of surplus permanent teachers. The redeployment of all surplus permanent teachers is key to the Department's ability to manage within its payroll budget and ceiling on teacher numbers.
Teaching resources are allocated to schools on a school year basis. The bulk of teaching posts in schools are allocated on a permanent basis. Unlike most other areas of the public service teaching vacancies continue to be filled in accordance with published Department criteria. The Government has prioritised, as best as possible, the filling of front-line posts in the Education sector within the constraints of the Employment Control Framework.
Expenditure supporting pupils with Special Educational Needs was some €1.3bn in 2013, which represents approximately 15% of the entire budget of my Department. These resources have been protected, or in some areas have been increased in 2014, despite the ongoing severe financial position and a requirement to make expenditure savings across a range of areas. This year provision is being made for up to 10,965 Special Needs Assistants (SNAs) of whom 10,656 are currently in place, over 10,700 Learning Support and Resource Teachers currently in place, along with 740 Special Classes attached to mainstream schools. A breakdown of the number of resource teacher and SNA posts allocated to each school, on a per county basis, including County Kildare, for the 2013/14 and 2012/13 school years is available at the NCSE website www.ncse.ie. More resources than ever before are being provided to ensure that the educational requirements of children with special needs can continue to be met at primary and second level and that as many children as possible can be educated with their peers in mainstream education.
