Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 23 Jun 1998

Vol. 492 No. 7

Written Answers. - Special Educational Needs.

Frances Fitzgerald

Ceist:

59 Ms Fitzgerald asked the Minister for Education and Science if he will identify the priority areas for additional funding where he plans to allocate resources in order to improve the support for the integration of pupils with special needs into ordinary schools; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14964/98]

Jan O'Sullivan

Ceist:

91 Ms O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Education and Science the proposals, if any, he has to further facilitate the integration of special needs pupils into mainstream primary schools; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15005/98]

Minister for Education and Science (Mr. Martin)

I propose to take Questions Nos. 59 and 91 together.

I am firmly commited to maximising the supports available to special needs children who are attending mainstream schools on a fully integrated basis.

In keeping with this commitment, I have already indicated my intention to ensure that a remedial resource is available to every primary school in the country within the next two years.

As a first step in this process, it is my intention to make an allocation of additional remedial teacher posts to primary schools for the forthcoming school year. I expect to be in a position to make an announcement on the precise number of posts and the recipient schools in the near future.

I am also giving active consideration to the possibility of allocating additional resource teacher posts to primary schools for the forthcoming school year to support ordinary class teachers in catering for the special needs of children with disabilities.

Under the IT 2000 initiative, I have established a special fund of £250,000 to meet the special equipment needs of individual children with disabilities, including those who are fully integrated into mainstream schools. This special allocation is in addition to the significant funding being made available to schools generally under the initiative.

I am satisfied that the measures which I have outlined will be of major assistance to special needs children in integrated settings.