24 March 2011

Dáil Debates

• Priority Questions: Cap on SNAs
• Priority Questions: Implementation of EPSEN

Parliamentary Questions

• Cap on SNAs
• Number of SNAs working in 1996 compared to 2011
• Reversing cut to NEPS
• €50 per child charge for school transport

DÁIL DEBATES

• Priority Questions: Cap on SNAs

Deputy Seán Crowe (SF): asked the Minister for Education and Skills if it is his intention to continue with the cap on special needs assistants for September 2011 leaving new entrants and newly diagnosed children with special needs without SNA support in mainstream classrooms;

Deputy Ruairí Quinn (Minister for Education): 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 this end, we will endeavour to protect front line services in education. However, the fiscal position is difficult and the country is effectively in receivership. It is necessary to ensure that educational services are delivered within the resources available. While I intend to prioritise and support special educational services, I cannot revisit the previous Government’s decision to place a cap on the number of posts available under the SNA scheme. This number is 10,575 whole-time equivalent posts. It is a significant number and, unlike other areas of the public sector, vacancies are being filled up to this number. It also represents continual increases in the number of SNAs in recent years. It is considered that, with equitable and careful management and distribution of these resources, there should be sufficient posts to provide access to SNA support for all children who require such care support to attend school in accordance with departmental criteria.The National Council for Special Education, NCSE, is responsible, through its network of local special educational needs organisers, SENOs, for allocating resource teachers and SNAs to schools to support children with special educational needs. The NCSE operates within my Department’s criteria in allocating such support. The NCSE has issued a circular to all schools advising of the 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. My Department and I will be glad to consider suggestions from school managements or parent representative organisations as to how the allocation of SNA resources can best be managed within the context of the established overall limit on SNA numbers. In this regard, I am committed to making whatever improvements are possible to the resource allocation system, but we must understand the legacy of economic mismanagement that the last Government gave to this country.

Deputy Seán Crowe:  Ba mhaith liom fáilte a chur roimh an Aire nua agus tá súil agam go mbeidh córas oideachais níos fearr againn. I listened to the Minister’s reply carefully. I hope he will show some flexibility in this matter. The difficulty for schools and parents is the arbitrary deadline of 18 March for awarding SNAs. Leaving children who have real needs without the necessary supports is a travesty. Does the Minister agree that the deadline is an arbitrary, misinformed and sneaky method, one that treats enrolments as stopping in mid-air in March when they actually continue until September?The potential loss of SNAs will see many children falling further behind and a danger of increased levels of suspension and exclusion. Does the Minister accept that the parents of children who are most in need of SNA supports are often the least able to access services? Earlier I received a call from a young mother from my constituency regarding her six-year old child who has a mental age of two. She is trying to get the child into a local school and the immediate problem she faces relates to SNA provision. It is a nightmare for schools but it is a bigger nightmare for parents.

Deputy Ruairí Quinn:  I thank the Deputy for his good wishes. I recognise the extraordinary burden that falls on the shoulders of parents who have children with special needs whom they love dearly. I welcome suggestions from school boards of management and parents associations that deal with young people in this category on how best resources can be allocated. The numbers are fixed. The sooner we can get information into the system in order that management can plan for SNA provision in schools, the better. I am open to, and I invite, suggestions that can improve on what the Deputy describes as “the arbitrary date of 18 March”.

Deputy Seán Crowe:  This will inevitably lead to competition, which would be unseemly in the context of children who need this support. Schools will have to decide on which children will receive supports and so on. The difficulty is there is no flexibility between March and September. How can a school plan? What will happen is those children will not be enrolled.

Acting Chairman (Deputy Jack Wall):  A question please.

Deputy Seán Crowe:  The Minister needs to think again. He said the decision has been made on the basis of available funding but does he not agree that many of the SNAs earn less than €12 an hour? Surely if the Government makes cuts, it should look somewhere else.

Deputy Ruairí Quinn:  There has to be a lead-in time to prepare for the start of the academic year in September. That is required for consultation, advice and other processes in order that children with special needs are identified and SNAs are matched to them. The date is 18 March but I am prepared to examine this to see if it can be pushed out. I am not fully aware of the constraints but I will consult with those involved, including the NSCE, to make sure we match the school starting date for a child with special needs with an SNA. That requires time and I do not know whether that can be pushed beyond 18 March. 

• Priority Questions: Implementation of EPSEN

Deputy Mary Lou McDonald (SF): asked the Minister for Education and Skills when he will publish the plan for the implementation of the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs Act;

Deputy Ruairí Quinn (Minister for Education): The programme for Government sets out 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 are committing, during the tenure of this Government, to the publication of a plan for the implementation of the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs Act 2004 in order to prioritise access for children with special needs to an individual education plan. The priority will be to move to a system where necessary supports follow a child from primary to second level and to achieve greater integration of special needs-related services.Several sections of the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs Act have already been commenced, principally those establishing the National Council for Special Education, NCSE, and those promoting an inclusive approach to the education of children with special educational needs. As required under the Act, the NCSE provided a report making recommendations regarding the implementation of the legislation which suggested additional investment over a period of years of up to €235 million per annum across the education and health sectors. My Department’s opinion is that the level of investment required would be greater than that envisaged in the NCSE report. In the light of the very difficult economic situation, and these significant costs, the previous Government deferred the full implementation of the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs Act.However, it is my intention to examine the legislation in order to prepare a plan to implement the Act in line with the programme for Government, subject to the serious financial constraints we have inherited from the previous Fianna Fáil-Green Party Government. All parts of the legislation that have not been commenced to date will be considered during this process. Commencement of individual aspects of the legislation in isolation is difficult because of linkages across the various sections. Given the extent of the considerations required as well as requirements to consider a number of other priority policy areas in regard to the education of children with special educational needs, it is not possible at this point to advise a date for the publication of this plan.

Deputy Seán Crowe (SF): This issue was put on the long finger by the last Government and the Minister’s reply, instead of offering succour, merely refers to resources. The delay in implementation may save money but it will affect the livelihood and prospects of children who will not be assessed and must go without resources. The last Government was subject to severe criticism on this matter. I ask the Minister to look at this again. The delay is saving money but it is also affecting the most vulnerable in society.

Deputy Ruairí Quinn:  I appreciate the Deputy’s remarks, and I should have congratulated him on his return to the House earlier. We must find ways to do more with less, that is where we are. If the Deputy has any suggestions in that regard, I would happily entertain them. We are in a new place and I would be misleading Deputy Crowe and every other Member of the House if I suggested otherwise.

Deputy Seán Crowe:  We will not get into a debate on default and the debt we face. I remember discussing the EPSEN Act in this House and the major worry expressed by all the groups that appeared before the then Committee on Education and Science was the resourcing of the system. The Minister at the time promised resources would be in place but we know that families are coming forward having faced the reality of the situation. The hope that existed for many families has disappeared because help still appears to be out of reach.

Deputy Mick Wallace (I):  I also congratulate Deputy Quinn on his new role. Having observed politics for 35 years, I have noticed that when a person gets the Minister for Education and Skills post, he was often looking for a better job. I believe, however, it is the most vital post in the Government. I am optimistic Deputy Quinn will recognise that and treat the job the way it should be treated.I was asked to visit a national school in Clonroche in County Wexford on Monday and I was shocked by the story I was told. The school has only 110 children but 28 of them needed a learning support teacher and a further 23 children were members of the Travelling community. Support teaching posts for these are now being amalgamated. Previously the school had two and a half teachers, meaning it shared a teacher with another school, but this number has now been reduced to one teacher. Not only does this mean learning support will be confined to the children from the Travelling community, because they are the lowest achievers in the school, many children will suffer, not just those getting learning support but every child in the school.I realise the Minister has been dealt a poor hand but does he agree that research shows every euro spent on a child before he is seven, saves the State €7 before he is an adult? It makes so much sense to invest in children and of all the areas that are being this must be the last. It will be detrimental to society if we ignore these children and any cuts in the area will come back to haunt us.

Deputy Ruairí Quinn:  I thank the Deputy for his question, his comments and his good wishes. I recognise in the presence of Deputies Smith and McConalogue that the previous Government ring-fenced the education spend but we have a growing population, with 500,000 in the primary school sector at present and that figure could increase to 560,000 within a few years. We are running to stand still in terms of resources. I will look at individual cases but I do not want to mislead anyone about the current position.

PARLIAMENTARY QUESTIONS

• Cap on SNAs

Deputy Seán Crowe (SF): asked the Minister for Education and Skills his plans to continue with the cap on special needs assistants for September 2011 leaving new entrants and newly diagnosed children with special needs without SNA support in mainstream classrooms;

Minister for Education and Skills (Deputy Ruairí Quinn):  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 frontline services in education. However, the fiscal position is extremely difficult. This country is effectively in receivership. It is necessary to ensure that educational services are delivered within the resources available. I intend to prioritise and support special educational services. However, I cannot re-visit the previous Government’s decision to place a cap on the number of posts available under the Special Needs Assistant (SNA) scheme. This number is 10,575 whole time equivalent (WTE) posts. This is a significant number of posts and unlike other areas of the public sector vacancies are being filled up to this number. It also represents continual increases in the number of SNAs over recent years.It is considered that with equitable and careful management and distribution of these resources that there should be sufficient posts to provide access to SNA support for all children who require such care support to attend school, in accordance with Departmental criteria. 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.The NCSE has issued a circular to all schools advising of the allocation process for the 2011/2012 school year. A key feature of the amended scheme will be to provide for an annual allocation of Special Needs Assistant support to eligible schools. My Department and I will be glad to consider any suggestions from school management or parent representative organisations as to how the allocation of SNA resources can best be managed within the context of the overall limit on SNA numbers established. In this regard I am committed to making whatever improvements are possible to the resource allocation system.We all have to understand the legacy of economic mismanagement which the last Government gave to this country. 

• Number of SNAs working in 1996 compared to 2011

Deputy Barry Cowen (FF): asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of special needs assistants working in schools here in the school year 1996 — 1997 and the current school year; and his plans regarding these posts for the coming year.

Minister for Education and Skills (Deputy Ruairí Quinn):  In 1996 there were 250 Special Needs Assistants (SNA) employed in Primary and Special Schools and in 1997 there were 270 SNAs employed in Primary and Special Schools. At end December 2010 there were 10,543 SNAs in place. 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 frontline services in education.However, the fiscal position is extremely difficult. This country is effectively in receivership. It is necessary to ensure that educational services are delivered within the resources available. I intend to prioritise and support special educational services. However, I cannot re-visit the previous Government’s decision to place a cap on the number of posts available under the Special Needs Assistant (SNA) scheme. This number is 10,575 whole time equivalent (WTE) posts. This is a significant number of posts and unlike other areas of the public sector vacancies are being filled up to this number. It also represents continual increases in the number of SNAs over recent years.It is considered that with equitable and careful management and distribution of these resources that there should be sufficient posts to provide access to SNA support for all children who require such care support to attend school, in accordance with Departmental criteria.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.The NCSE has issued a circular to all schools advising of the allocation process for the 2011/2012 school year. A key feature of the amended scheme will be to provide for an annual allocation of Special Needs Assistant support to eligible schools.My Department and I will be glad to consider any suggestions from school management or parent representative organisations as to how the allocation of SNA resources can best be managed within the context of the overall limit on SNA numbers established. In this regard I am committed to making whatever improvements are possible to the resource allocation system.We all have to understand the legacy of economic mismanagement which the last Government gave to this country. 

• Reversing cut to NEPS

Deputy Jonathan O’Brien (SF): asked the Minister for Education and Skills    when the cut to the number of educational psychologists in National Educational Psychological Service will be reversed;

Minister for Education and Skills (Deputy Ruairí Quinn):  The implementation of the various commitments in the Programme for Government will be addressed by Government over its period in office.

• €50 per child charge for school transport

Deputy Denis Naughten (FG): asked the Minister for Education and Skills if his attention has been drawn to the financial implications for families of the introduction by the previous Government of a €50 per child charge for primary school pupils; the reason for the removal of the closed school policy for the provision of school transport;

Minister of State at the Department of Education and Skills (Deputy Ciarán Cannon):  The €50 charge announced by the previous Fianna Fáil-Green Party Government in the 2011 budget and which applies to all eligible primary pupils is being introduced to ensure that school transport provided for these pupils is fully utilised in a cost efficient manner. Given that the cost per child of this service is approximately €1,020 per year, it is essential to ensure that the seats provided on buses daily are utilised to the maximum extent and that services are only provided where warranted. We all have to understand the legacy of economic mismanagement which the last government gave to the countryEligible pupils holding medical cards and pupils with special educational needs will be exempted from paying the charge. In addition, the maximum family charge to be levied at primary level for eligible pupils will be €110 while the overall combined maximum charge per family is not being increased from the current rate of €650 per annum. Parents will continue to be given the option of spreading the annual payments over two instalments in July and December.The changes to school transport relating to school transport provision under the Closed School Rule also announced in the 2011 budget, derive from a recommendation in the recently published Value for Money Review of the scheme. This review was conducted in accordance with criteria for such reviews and included independent expertise. In essence the change to the rule means that the distance criteria will be applied uniformly and equitably on a national basis. From the 2012/2013 school year, school transport eligibility for all pupils newly entering national schools will be determined by reference to the nearest national school, having regard to ethos and language.

Existing eligible primary pupils availing of transport under the Closed School Rule will retain transport eligibility for the duration of their schooling, provided the requisite distance is met.

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