Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 20 Feb 2001

Vol. 530 No. 6

Written Answers. - Special Educational Needs.

Denis Naughten

Ceist:

435 Mr. Naughten asked the Minister for Education and Science if he will approve funding for St. Joseph's School for the Blind, Drumcondra, Dublin 9, to provide services and facilities for post-primary girls who are visually impaired and who have a limited service; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4878/01]

Minister for Education and Science (Dr. Woods)

The question of future educational provision for visually impaired girls of post primary age was among the issues addressed by the planning group established by my Department to consider proposals for the development of a national centre of excellence for the visually impaired.

The planning group, which reported to me and the Minister for Health and Children in September 2000, has put forward a comprehensive range of proposals for the development of a national centre of excellence for the visually impaired at Drumcondra, Dublin. The national centre will deliver a comprehensive range of professional support services for the visually impaired from pre-school level to young adulthood. The services in question will be available to all pupils on the Drumcondra campus and on an outreach basis to students with visual impairment.

The planning group has also put forward specific recommendations for the development at Drumcondra of a full range of educational support services for visually impaired girls of first and second level age.

As Minister for Education and Science, I can assure the Deputy of my commitment to ensuring adequate educational support services are made available to all students with visual impairment. My commitment in this regard is reflected in the fact that I have secured additional funding of £500,000 in the current year to facilitate the appointment of additional staff at the existing schools for the visually impaired at Drumcondra. However, the Deputy will appreciate that the recommendations brought forward by the planning group, including those relating to services for visually impaired girls of second level age, involve a range of complex issues which require very careful consideration. The proposals in question are being considered in my Department and I expect to make an announcement in relation to these matters in the near future.

Denis Naughten

Ceist:

436 Mr. Naughten asked the Minister for Education and Science when he will provide a classroom assistant for a person (details supplied) in County Roscommon. [4879/01]

Minister for Education and Science (Dr. Woods)

I am pleased to inform the Deputy that my Department has recently made an allocation of special needs assistant support and resource teacher support to the school in question. This allocation includes ten hours per week special needs assistant support and five hours per week resource teacher support for the child in question.