Written Answers Nos. 223-227
223. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will expedite an application for remote access grant by persons (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4331/17]
View answerSchool transport is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department.
Currently in the region of 114,000 children, including some 10,000 children with special educational needs, are being transported in over 4,000 vehicles on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country covering over 100 million kilometres annually.
Under the terms of my Department's Primary School Transport Scheme children are eligible for transport where they reside not less than 3.2 kilometres from and are attending their nearest national school as determined by the Department/Bus Éireann, having regard to ethos and language.
This family in question are eligible for school transport but there is currently no service operating from where they reside.
Children who are eligible for school transport but for whom no transport service is available may, following an application for transport within prescribed time limits, receive a Remote Area Grant towards the cost of private transport arrangements.
In this regard the grant is payable from the beginning of the 2015/16 school year and payment for this year will be processed when the family submit their payee details information.
226. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Education and Skills the status of the case of a person (details supplied) regarding their application for special needs assistance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4343/17]
View answerThe National Council for Special Education (NCSE), which is an independent statutory agency, is responsible, through its network of Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs), for processing applications from schools for special educational needs supports, including SNA support and additional teaching resources to support individual pupils with special educational needs.
The NCSE allocates SNA support to schools in accordance with the criteria set out in my Department's Circular 0030/2014, which is available on my Department's website at www.education.ie, in order that students who have care needs can access SNA support as and when it is needed.
Responsibility for deciding on the quantum of educational supports and resources to be allocated to schools to support individual pupils rests with the NCSE.
SNA allocations are not made to individual children, but are made to schools to support the care needs of children with assessed special educational needs in the school.
Additional teaching resources are allocated to recognised primary and post-primary schools for the support of individual students with complex and enduring special educational needs and who have been assessed as having a low incidence disability.
Each year the NCSE allocates Low Incidence Resource Teacher posts to schools to support children with a diagnosis of a disability and an assessed level of need, as set out in Circular Sp Ed 02/05.
Where a school wishes to appeal the resource teaching support and/or SNA allocations which has been made to them, they may do so through the NCSE appeal process, details of which are set out at www.ncse.ie.
The NCSE has reported that a review of SNA allocation was completed in the school to which the Deputy refers in September 2016.
Resource teaching hours and access to SNA support have been provided to the school for the child in question and these resources are already in the school.
The option to invoke the NCSE appeals process is open to the school attended by the child in question. All schools have the contact details of their local SENO, while parents may also contact their local SENO directly to discuss their child's special educational needs, using the contact details available on the NCSE website at www.ncse.ie.
227. Deputy Aindrias Moynihan asked the Minister for Education and Skills when the capital programme is being reviewed, if he will include a school (details supplied); and if so, when construction would begin. [4393/17]
View answerI wish to advise the Deputy that my Department is considering a technical aspect in respect of the site proposed for a new school building. Once this process is complete my Department will be in further contact with the school on the matter.
