05 April 2011

Parliamentary Questions

• ABA Academy
• Employment Strategy
• Wheelchair accessible taxis
• Loss of SNAs at school in Tallaght
• Transition to secondary school

PARLIAMENTARY QUESTIONS

• ABA Academy

Deputy Olivia Mitchell (FG): asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will respond positively, even if only in principle at this stage, to the proposal (details supplied) for an academy for children with autism run on the ABA system;

Minister for Education and Skills (Deputy Ruairí Quinn): I wish to advise the Deputies that a proposal for an academy for children with autism has been received by officials in my Department who will revert to the organisation in question shortly. However it is important to emphasise that the proposal will be considered in the context of my Department’s policy in this regard. My Department’s policy is focused on ensuring that all children including those with autism can have access to an education appropriate to their needs, preferably in school settings through the primary and post primary school network. This facilitates access to individualised education programmes, fully qualified professional teachers who may draw from a range of autism-specific interventions, including ABA, special needs assistants, and the appropriate school curriculum with the option where possible of full/partial integration and interaction with other pupils. As each child with autism is unique it is important that children have access to a range of interventions so their broader needs can be met. My Department’s policy is to provide for children with special educational needs, including autism, to be included in mainstream schools unless such a placement would not be in their best interests or the interests of the children with whom they are to be educated. Some children may be supported in a special class attached to a mainstream school. These students have the option, where appropriate, of full/partial integration and interaction with other pupils. Other children may have such complex needs that they are best placed in a special school. Students with special educational needs have access to a range of support services including additional teaching and/or care supports. In special schools and special classes, students are supported through lower pupil teacher ratios. Special needs assistants may also be recruited specifically where pupils with disabilities and significant care needs are enrolled. Reflective of the important role of continuing professional development my Department has put in place a training programme for teachers in autism-specific interventions including Treatment and Education of Autistic Communication Handicapped Children (TEACCH), Picture Exchange Communications System (PECS) and Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA) through the Special Education Support Service.The Deputies will be familiar with the ABA pilot scheme which was funded by my Department for the past decade. All of the centres which participated in this scheme have been granted recognition as special schools for children with autism. These schools will operate in line with my Department’s policy. I am pleased to update the Deputies that following their recognition the new schools are currently progressing well in the transitional phase. Eight schools have opened and the remaining five are scheduled to open shortly. It is my intention to continue to support this transitional process. The pilot scheme was established in the absence of a network of school-based special classes for children with autism which is now available. The Deputies will be aware that the establishment of this network of autism-specific special classes in schools across the country to cater for children with autism has been a key educational priority in recent years. In excess of 430 classes have now been approved around the country at primary and post primary level, including many in special schools. I am aware that my officials have met previously with some members of the group who have submitted the proposal for the establishment of an academy for children with autism. The need for a meeting with my officials will be considered as part of the examination of the proposal. 

• Employment Strategy

Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh (SF): asked the Minister for Social Protection    the progress made towards developing a comprehensive employment strategy; the likely publication date and the steps being taken to ensure the employment situation of persons with mental health problems is adequately addressed in the strategy.

Minister for Social Protection (Deputy Joan Burton): Issues relating to employment are the responsibility of my colleague the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Innovation in the first instance. It may be noted that, under the Disability Act 2005, the sectoral plan of the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Innovation includes proposals for a comprehensive employment strategy for persons with disabilities. 

• Wheelchair accessible taxis

Deputy David Stanton (FG): asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport in regard to compliance by taxis with    the European Communities (Road Vehicles; Type Approval) Regulations 2009 (S.I. No. 158 of 2009 which gives effect to EU Directive 2007/46/EC and includes a reference to EU Directive 76/115/EEC), if he has considered allowing for any derogations for wheelchair accessible vehicles purchased prior to April 2009 which are required to be compliant by 29 April 2012 given the need for more wheelchair accessible vehicles in the taxi fleet;

Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport (Deputy Leo Varadkar):  The regulation of the taxi industry is a matter for the National Transport Authority (NTA) under the Public Taxi Regulation Act 2003, as amended. Among the principal functions of the NTA, as provided for under section 9 of the Taxi Regulation Act 2003, is the promotion of access to small public service vehicles by persons with disabilities. In 2007, the former Commission for Taxi Regulation (whose functions have been incorporated into the NTA) published accessible standards for taxis and hackneys, which took into consideration the implementation of type approval under the European Communities Directive 2007/46/EC. I understand that the National Transport Authority will be commencing a further vehicle standards consultation process this year which will include the accessible vehicle requirements for taxis and hackneys into the future. 

• Loss of SNAs at school in Tallaght

Deputy Eamonn Maloney (L): asked the Minister for Education and Skills if his attention has been drawn to the fact that a DEIS band 1 school (details supplied) in Dublin 24 is to lose up to eight staff members for the next school year; the reasons this school is to lose up to five special needs assistant posts; the reason two teaching posts to support Traveller children are to be lost at a time when the school is successfully accommodating almost 40 Traveller children; the alleviation measures the school can avail of to limit its loss of staffing; the steps he will take to have this school’s needs investigated urgently with a view to preserving staff numbers at a time of growth in enrolment and acute need in the local community;

Minister for Education and Skills (Deputy Ruairí Quinn):  The Deputy will be aware that the Programme for Government clearly states that education will be a priority for this Government and that we will endeavour to protect and enhance the educational experience of children, young people and students. To that end, we will endeavour to protect front-line services in education.  However, I do not intend to revisit the decision of the previous Government to withdraw resource teacher for traveller posts. The Deputy will understand that Ireland is effectively now in economic receivership because of the disastrous legacy of the last Fianna Fáil/Green Party Government. The requirements to make expenditure savings and to ensure that staffing numbers remain within the Public Service Employment Control Framework prevent me from re-visiting this decision. The decision to withdraw resource teacher for traveller posts is broadly in keeping with the recommendation in the Report and Recommendations for a Traveller Education Strategy that an integrated, collaborative and in-class learning support system should be adopted for all children, including Travellers, with an identified educational need. The strategy aims to enhance access, attendance, participation and engagement for Travellers and is underpinned by the principles of inclusion and mainstreaming with an emphasis on equality and diversity. Traveller pupils who are eligible for learning support teaching will, from the next school year, receive this tuition through the existing learning support provision in schools. All schools should select students for learning support on the basis of priority of need.I do recognise that withdrawing all RTT posts will place a strain on existing learning support services in schools. In recognition of this, limited alleviation measures are being provided to assist schools that have high concentrations of Traveller pupils and who were previously supported by Resource Teachers for Travellers.In respect of DEIS (Developing Equality of Opportunity in Schools) Band 1 schools, Traveller enrolments have been included in the valid enrolment for the purpose of allocating additional staffing under DEIS from the 2011/12 school year. The schools involved have already received their staffing allocations for next year.With regard to allocation of SNA support, the Deputy will be aware that the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) is responsible, through its network of local Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs) for allocating resource teachers and Special Needs Assistants (SNAs) to schools to support children with special educational needs. The NCSE operates within my Department’s criteria in allocating such support. It is important to understand in relation to the SNA allocation process that SNA allocations are not permanent. The level of SNA support allocated to a school is increased or decreased as pupils who qualify for SNA support enrol or leave a school. They are also decreased where a child’s care needs may have diminished over time. The NCSE has issued a circular to all schools advising of the SNA allocation process for the 2011/2012 school year. A key feature of the amended scheme will be to provide for an annual allocation of SNA support to eligible schools. The NCSE will consider applications for additional SNA support in the context of this process for the 2011/12 school year. Schools will be engaging with the NCSE in this regard ahead of the next school year and the NCSE will review the SNA staffing requirements for schools, taking into account all of the students who will be attending school from September next and any new students that the school are intending to enrol. As such, the overall SNA allocation for the school referred to by the Deputy will be reviewed for the coming school year in this context. 

• Transition to secondary school

Deputy Olivia Mitchell (FG): asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will provide a progress report on efforts to secure a post-primary class in a local school to provide for special need children due to leave a school (details supplied) over the next number of years;

Minister for Education and Skills (Deputy Ruairí Quinn): The National Council for Special Education (NCSE), through its network of local Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs), is responsible for processing applications from primary and post primary schools for special educational needs supports, including applications for the establishment of special classes, in various geographical areas as required. I have arranged for the details supplied to be forwarded to the NCSE for their attention and direct reply.

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