Vol. 496 No. 3
446 Mr. R. Bruton asked the Minister for Education and Science the provision made by his Department to provide a school service in hospital settings where children are patients; if he has satisfied himself that the allocation of two hours per day in many hospitals is adequate to meet this need; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22858/98]
Educational provision for children in hospital settings is currently provided by my Department to hospitals which cater for children with varying degrees of illness and disability. There are a total of five special schools in hospital settings. A number of hospitals are also in receipt of part-time teaching hours. The level of provision depends on the number of children involved, the nature of the illness or disability and the length of time a child has to stay in hospital.
All applications for support are considered on the basis of assessed level of need and in some instances the provision of part-time teaching hours is considered to be adequate. The provision of a full-time teacher has also been provided in areas where such a need has been identified. My Department welcomes applications from hospital authorities for educational provision for children who are patients and is currently considering a number of such applications.
I intend to keep the educational needs of children in hospitals and the issue of how best to address these needs within available resources under regular review.
