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Dáil Debates & Questions
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May 26 2009 Dáil Debates
Parliamentary Questions
DÁIL DEBATES Deputy David Stanton (FG): Foetal alcohol syndrome is the biggest cause of non-genetic mental disability in the western world. It is 100% preventable and is caused only when a mother drinks during pregnancy. In addition to foetal alcohol syndrome, there is a range of other alcohol related problems such as alcohol related birth defects and neurological disorders. Maternal risk factors for children developing any of these are advanced maternal age, low socioeconomic status, frequent binge drinking, family and friends with drinking problems and poor social and psychological indicators. Symptoms are babies who are small, underweight, and have poor muscle control and different facial characteristics. Other symptoms are permanent brain damage, speech impediments, hyperactivity, heart and eye disorders, genetic deformities and behavioural problems such as autism, aggressiveness and impaired social skills. Prevalence rates in the US have been estimated to be between 0.5 and two per 1,000 births, but other estimates of mild foetal alcohol syndrome have been much higher, at almost one in every 100 births. I questioned the Minister for Health and Children on this recently and was told that the incidence in Ireland is unknown but that the Health Service Executive is developing proposals for a research project to be carried out in a large maternity hospital to evaluate the prevalence of alcohol in pregnancy. Can the Minister of State tell me where this will happen and when this study will begin? We should take account of the research carried out in the US, other countries in Europe and the UK where lifestyles, culture and attitudes to alcohol are similar to here. It would be safe to assume the estimates for Germany and, perhaps, the UK would apply here as we have cultures where alcohol is consumed in large amounts and is heavily connected to special occasions and social life. Last week the Minister agreed that symptoms can range from mild attention deficit problems to lifelong problems such as neurological, cognitive and behavioural problems, growth retardation and developmental delay. I am concerned about this when one sees the rise in issues such as these in our schools with children with hyperactivity and other problems. There is possibly a link. The Minister advised at the time that the promotion of healthy behaviour in alcohol intake is a national priority, but we need to do more. We must advise and inform people much more than we have been doing about the dangers of this alcohol syndrome. I am pleased to note that the Health (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill will provide for a mandatory labelling of alcohol to advise of risk of drinking during pregnancy. Such labelling is in place in a number of countries such as Canada and will go some way to raising without delay the necessary awareness in this country of the dangers to children. Other awareness raising measures will be included. It is clear from international research that more people need to be aware of the dangers of drinking even a small amount of alcohol when pregnant to stop the needless suffering of many children affected by foetal alcohol syndrome. I urge the Minister of State to develop as a matter of urgency a national policy on the issue and begin initiatives to improve awareness of the risk and dangers as soon as possible. I look forward to the Minister of State’s response to this very important matter which is not known to many people. The awareness levels in this country are very low. Deputy Áine Brady (Minister of State at the Department of Health and Children): I thank the Deputy for raising this matter on the Adjournment which I am taking on behalf of my colleague, the Minister for Health and Children, Deputy Mary Harney. Pre-natal exposure to alcohol can produce a range of effects known as foetal alcohol spectrum disorders, FASD. Depending on factors such as the amount of alcohol consumed during pregnancy, the stage of pregnancy at exposure and the duration of alcohol exposure, FASD can range from mild attention deficit problems to full foetal alcohol syndrome with its lifelong problems such as neurological, cognitive and behavioural problems, growth retardation and developmental delay. FASD is often difficult to diagnose and can be diagnosed as another disorder with clinically similar features. Thus, in many countries, FASD in particular is under-diagnosed. To establish the levels of alcohol, smoking, and illicit drug use during pregnancy, a research team reviewed maternal records spanning 1988 to 2005 held by the Coombe Women’s Hospital. The study revealed that there has been a change in drinking behaviour in women presenting for antenatal care over the past two decades. In the main, alcohol consumption has increased. The study revealed that one in ten women report drinking more than six units of alcohol per week in pregnancy and two thirds of all pregnant women under 18 years old reported drinking alcohol during pregnancy. The promotion of healthy behaviour in one’s alcohol intake is a national priority, not least among women who are planning or embarking upon pregnancy. To create greater awareness of the risks associated with alcohol consumption, the Health Service Executive has published a booklet entitled Women and Alcohol. This includes advice for women to avoid alcohol in pregnancy. The Department is devising legislation to provide for mandatory labelling of alcohol containers advising of the risk of consuming alcohol during pregnancy. The legislation is part of a miscellaneous public health Bill being prepared. The Health Service Executive is developing proposals for a new research project in a large maternity hospital which aims to evaluate the prevalence of alcohol exposure in pregnancy, the patterns of behaviour, such as social drinking, binge drinking and sustained heavy drinking, and the factors that influence whether a woman drinks alcohol before conception and during each trimester of pregnancy. The research project aims to follow a cohort of women who drink alcohol during pregnancy to evaluate the impact on the infant’s condition at birth and subsequent development. The diagnosis and management of foetal alcohol syndrome is a clinical issue requiring contact with general practitioners and specialists as appropriate. The Health Service Executive also provides a range of child and adolescent services at local and community level to support children and families. If appropriate in particular cases, a child under five may have an assessment which covers the full range of a child’s health and education needs. The Government is committed to ensuring all pupils, including those with special educational needs, 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 individualized education programmes, fully qualified professional teachers, special needs assistants and the appropriate school curriculum. The Department of Education and Science provides for the education of children with special educational needs through a number of support mechanisms depending on the child’s assessed special educational need. I am concerned about the harm caused by alcohol misuse in Ireland. FASDs are one of the many consequences of our alcohol culture and especially our binge drinking culture. As my responsibilities as Minister of State include health promotion, I intend to identify and seek implementation of the necessary policy measures and actions required to reduce the overall level of alcohol related harm in society.
Deputy Olwyn Enright (FG): I thank the Ceann Comhairle for the opportunity to raise this issue. While I am delighted to have the Minister of State, Deputy Áine Brady, here in her new position, I would have liked to have had the Minister with responsibility at the Department of Education and Science taking this, as it is a serious issue. The forthcoming closure of the special classes at St. Brendan’s boys primary school and the Mercy primary school in Birr has caused great upset and concern in the area, especially for the children and families affected. We debated this issue in the House a number of weeks ago and at the time, I outlined the plight of the children who I know are affected. When the Minister first made this announcement to close 128 classes last February, it caused consternation in the schools and among the families affected. There was rightly and understandably outrage at the decision. At the time, the Minister committed that local arrangements could be made where numbers allowed them, and I believe the numbers allow them here. Indeed, during the debate in Private Members’ time, many Deputies from the Minister’s side of the House looked for special arrangements to be made in the areas they represent. I raise this issue because I want to know exactly what local arrangements can be made in regard to the two primary schools in Birr. There are 13 children between the two primary schools in the special classes. There have always been special classes in both these schools. The key issue appears to be a push towards total integration, regardless of whether it suits the child. Some 12 of the 13 children in Birr — children from all over south and west Offaly — already tried mainstream class but it did not work. These 12 children were already in mainstream classes in their local primary schools. Mainstream class is where every parent hopes their child will be. These 12 families made the very difficult decision with professional advice and guidance that the mainstream class was not helping their children. They made the decision to move their children to one of these two schools because of what was best for them. They have told me of their delight and joy in watching their children finally begin to blossom, develop and make friends in a way which did not seem possible before. St. Brendan’s has had four full-time special needs assistants for children designated as being in need of this help. This school should be at DEIS band 1 like its sister school but it is stuck at band 2 with no opportunity for review until after 2010. Along with Mercy primary school, it will now lose its special class. However, in addition, St. Brendan’s is expecting to lose twothirds of a special needs assistant post. It has not been officially notified yet. It has been told by its special educational needs organiser that she has made this finding but is submitting it to a higher authority for approval. Not only are these children being forcibly reintegrated into mainstream classes, which have proved not to suit them, with the withdrawal of the special classes, they are also set to see a reduction in special needs assistant support. They will have less than they had before they went into the special class. This is wrong. The original decision was wrong and these extra cuts reinforce the error being made. Instead of compensating these children for the loss of these classes, the Minister is taking more away from them. The Minister stated in a letter to me last week that the decision to take away special classes is not being done for economic reasons so he should use that money being saved to help those children. He promised there would be a solution. Those representing his party promised a solution and Fianna Fáil Deputies looked for one in the debate last week. I would like an outline of exactly what will be done. Both schools are willing to enter into any arrangement where they could still have a special class, whether sharing a teacher or whatever, because anything is better than the total loss they expect. I hope the issue of the possible withdrawal of special needs assistant support from St. Brendan’s will also be addressed because these children cannot afford to be in a worse off position than they were before they entered the school. Deputy Áine Brady: I am taking this Adjournment matter on behalf of my colleague, the Minister for Education and Science, Deputy Batt O’Keeffe. I am pleased have the opportunity to clarify the position in regard to the matter raised by Deputy Enright. The Deputy will be aware that allocations to schools typically increase or decrease depending on pupil enrolment. In the case of special classes for pupils with a mild general learning disability, the normal pupil-teacher ratio that applies is 11:1. The Department, however, allows for a small reduction in this number and permits schools to retain a teaching post where it has a minimum of nine pupils in the class. The minimum was not fulfilled in the schools in question and, therefore, the schools no longer qualify to retain the special classes for mild general learning disability. In the case of 128 classes in 119 schools, the number of pupils dropped below this minimum. These schools, therefore, are no longer entitled to retain the teaching posts in these classes. All of the 119 schools from which the teaching posts are now being removed are in receipt of additional teaching resources under the general allocation model of teaching support to enable them support pupils with high incidence special educational needs, including mild general learning disability. These schools, therefore, have been resourced to cater for the categories of pupils in question. It is also important to note that the 3,000 schools which do not have special classes for pupils with mild general learning disability meet the needs of these children through mainstream classes and the use of their general allocation teaching resources. Furthermore, some schools in recent years voluntarily disbanded their special classes and mainstreamed the pupils with the associated loss of the mild special class post. The pupils from the 128 classes will now be placed in mainstream classes and will receive support from their class teacher and all will benefit from the support available to them through the schools’ general allocation model. As I stated, other primary schools which do not have classes for children with mild general learning disability cater for these pupils from within the general allocation model. The Minister for Education and Science has previously stated that he is open to listening to proposals from schools where they can demonstrate that it is educationally more beneficial for the pupils involved to be in a special class of their own rather than to be integrated with their peers and supported by the mainstream classroom teacher and the learning support-resource teacher. I understand that correspondence has been received by the Department from both of the schools in question in this regard and it is currently being considered by the Department. This process is well advanced and it is expected that a decision will be conveyed to the schools shortly. There has been unprecedented investment in providing supports for children with special needs in recent years. There are now approximately 19,000 adults in our schools working solely with children with special needs. There are over 8,000 resource and learning support teachers in our schools compared to 2,000 in 1998. More than 1,000 other teachers support children in our special schools. Some 76 classes for children with mild general learning disability are being retained where there are nine children or more in these classes. The Minister would like to emphasise that priority will continue to be given to provision for children with special educational needs. As stated, the establishment of these classes for mild general learning disability pre-date many of the developments in special education policy in recent years and we now have a system for providing schools with supports for children with high incidence special needs through the general allocation model. I again thank the Deputy for giving me the opportunity to clarify the position in regard to this matter. PARLIAMENTARY QUESTIONS Deputy Mary Upton (L): asked the Minister for Transport when he will respond to the Commission on Taxi Regulation’s proposals to introduce a subsidy scheme to increase the number of wheelchair accessible taxis in view of the fact that at present as few as 7.5% of a fleet of more than 27,000 are wheelchair accessible; if he will review the recent €5 million reduction in accessibility to public transport programmes for people with a disability in Budget 2009; Minister for Transport (Deputy Noel Dempsey): I understand that the Commission for Taxi Regulation, in the context of its follow up to the economic review of the small public service vehicle sector, is reconsidering the options for increasing the availability of wheelchair accessible taxis. I will further consider the Commission’s proposals for a subsidy scheme to incentivize the provision of more wheelchair accessible taxis in the light of the outcome of this further work. It should be noted in regard to the funding of accessibility improvements in public transport that accessibility is being built into new transport infrastructure and, while it is true to say that the funding for 2009 has been reduced by €5 million, the revised allocation of €20 million still represents an increase of 43% over the 2008 allocation and will be sufficient to cater for accessibility improvement projects over the course of the year.
Deputy Michael Creed (FG): asked the Minister for Finance the criteria used by the Revenue Commissioners to determine entitlement to a tax credit for an incapacitated child; the reason intellectual disability is not accepted as a basis for entitlement; Minister for Finance (Deputy Brian Lenihan): Firstly, as regards the criteria for entitlement to the incapacitated child tax credit, the position is that section 465 of the Taxes Consolidation Act 1997 provides for a tax credit of €3,660 for the tax year 2009 where the claimant has living with him or her any child who, at any time during the relevant tax year to which the claim refers — (a) is under the age of 18 years and is permanently incapacitated by reason of mental or physical infirmity, or (b) if over the age of 18 years at the commencement of the year, is permanently incapacitated by reason of mental or physical infirmity from maintaining himself or herself. If the child is aged 21 or over, the incapacity must have arisen before the child became 21 or while the child was in receipt of full time instruction at any university, college, school or other educational establishment. The tax credit can also be claimed in respect of: a step-child; a formally adopted child; or an informally adopted child or any child in respect of whom the claimant has custody, who meets the criteria set out above and who is maintained at the claimant’s own expense. Where more than one child is permanently incapacitated, a tax credit may be claimed in respect of each such child. Secondly, as to a child with an intellectual disability, the legislation does not make any reference to intellectual disability or, indeed, to any specific type of disability. The matter to be considered for the purposes of the incapacitated child tax credit in respect of a child with intellectual disability is the same as that for children with other types of disability and as outlined in the legislation. “A child under 18 years of age shall be regarded as permanently incapacitated by reason of mental or physical infirmity only if the infirmity is such that there would be a reasonable expectation that if the child were over the age of 18 years the child would be incapacitated from maintaining himself or herself.” In this regard, where it is not obvious that the child’s incapacity is of a serious and permanent nature, the general practice is for a doctor’s certificate to be submitted with the initial claim for the tax credit. In such circumstances, the doctor’s certificate should contain the following information: the date the incapacity first arose; the degree and extent of the incapacity; if the child is over 18 years of age, is he or she able to maintain himself or herself independently; or if the child is under 18 years of age, whether there would be a reasonable expectation that, if the child were over the age of 18 years, the child would be incapacitated from maintaining himself or herself. Finally, if the Deputy has a particular case in mind, the Revenue Commissioners tell me that they are prepared to examine such case if the Deputy so wishes. As is usual, the Deputy can give the relevant details to my officials.
Deputy Joe Costello (L): asked the Minister for Health and Children the strategy and timetablefor the implementation of the new national policy framework for mental health, A Visionfor Change; the way she proposes to ensure that all Government Departments will be involvedin the implementation; Minister of State at the Department of Health and Children (Deputy John Moloney): ’A Vision for Change’ provides a framework for action to develop a modern, high quality mental health service over a 7 to 10 year period. Implementation of the recommendations in the Report is primarily the responsibility of the Health Service Executive (HSE). In February 2008, the HSE adopted an interim implementation plan which set out six key priorities for 2008 and 2009. An implementation plan for implementing ‘A Vision for Change’ over the five year period 2009-2013was approved by the HSE in April 2009 and is currently being considered by the Department. The HSE recently confirmed that a national lead dedicated to mental health will be appointed. The person assigned to the position will work closely with the National Clinical Director to drive the modernisation of mental health services. In January 2008, the Government established the Office for Disability and Mental Health as a cross-cutting Government Office with a remit across four Government Departments: Health and Children, Education and Science, Enterprise, Trade and Employment and Justice, Equality and Law Reform. The Office was assigned four key priorities one of which is to bring a new impetus to the implementation of ‘A Vision for Change’ working in partnership with the HSE and other stakeholders including other Government Departments to achieve implementation of agreed targets. The Office aims to bring about improvements in the manner in which services respond to the needs of people with disabilities and mental health difficulties, by working to develop person-centred services, focusing on the holistic needs of clients and service users and actively involving them in their own care. Bilateral meetings with officials from other Government Departments to discuss progressing recommendations in ‘A Vision for Change’ and ‘Reach Out’ the National Strategy for Action on Suicide Prevention take place within this context.
Deputy Michael Creed (FG): asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if she will clarify the criteria governing eligibility for domiciliary care allowance and, specifically, the position regarding those children diagnosed with an intellectual disability; the criteria used by her Department to determine eligibility for domiciliary care allowance when the scheme was administered therein; if she will clarify the definition of disability used in respect of such claims; if persons diagnosed with autism qualified for an allowance; Deputy David Stanton (FG): asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the number of applications for domiciliary care allowance that have been received in her Department since her Department took over the administration of the payment of the allowance; the number of these applications that have been refused; if the criteria for granting domiciliary care allowance in respect of children with autism has been changed since her Department took over administration of the allowance; if so, the details of such changes; Minister for Social and Family Affairs (Deputy Mary Hanafin): The transfer of the Domiciliary Care Allowance scheme from the Health Service Executive to my Department arises from a Government decision on 28th February 2006 to reallocate certain functions between Departments and Agencies as part of the health service reform programme. The Domiciliary Care Allowance scheme is now a statutory scheme with the primary legislation provided for in the Social Welfare and Pensions Act 2008. As there were no agreed national medical guidelines for the scheme while it was administered in the Health Service Executive, an Expert Medical Group was established in advance of the transfer of functions. This Group was chaired by the Department’s Chief Medical Advisor and comprised of senior medical personnel from the HSE as well as eminent professionals in the areas of physical disabilities which affect children, and child psychiatry/psychology. This report was reviewed independently by external medical experts. The primary purpose of this Group was to agree a set of consistent and objective guidelines for use in determining eligibility of children for Domiciliary Care Allowance. To qualify for Domiciliary Care Allowance a child must have a disability so severe that he or she requires care and attention and / or supervision substantially in excess of another child of the same age. The level of care and attention required to allow the child to deal with the activities of daily living must essentially require the full-time attention of the applicant. The child must be likely to require this level of care and care and attention for at least 12 months. The Group considered that the most appropriate way for the Department to conduct assessments for medical eligibility was by assessing evidence submitted by the claimant rather than by way of individual examination by the Department’s Medical Assessors as they are not involved in advice or treatment of the child. The new process in operation in the department involves the submission of a detailed statement by the parent or guardian of the child; a detailed statement by the child’s General practitioner; and any other relevant evidence from qualified experts who have examined the child. The evidence is assessed by designated departmental Medical Assessors who have received special training. Eligibility for Domiciliary Care Allowance is not based primarily on the medical or psychological condition, but on the resulting lack of function of body or mind necessitating the degree of extra care and attention required. Each application is assessed on an individual basis taking account of the evidence submitted as outlined earlier. In the case of an application which is refused on medical grounds, the applicant may submit additional information and/or ask for the case to be reviewed by a different Medical Assessor specially designated for this task. Since the 1st April 2009 the Department has been accepting new claims for Domiciliary Care Allowance. In the period 1st April 2009 to 22nd May 2009 a total of 445 applications have been received in the required format of which 249 cases have been fully processed by the Department’s Medical Assessors, 149 of these applications have been deemed not to satisfy the criteria. Where a person is not satisfied with the decision of a Deciding Officer they may appeal the decision to the Social Welfare Appeals Office. Deputy Tom Hayes (FG): asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the reason capital assistance scheme funding administered by the Health Service Executive through his Department has been cancelled; when funding for a group (details supplied) for a further 20 accommodation units under this fund will be granted having previously been approved; the number of other projects in his Department that were cancelled under this scheme; if the fact that legal contracts were made, and commitments to those wishing to move into the units were made will be taken into account; Minister of State at the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government (Deputy Michael Finneran): The Capital Assistance Scheme (CAS) provides funding toapproved housing bodies of up to 100% of the approved cost of accommodation for the elderly,the homeless and persons with special housing needs, including those with an intellectual orphysical disability.Currently, projects to the value of €160 million are being advanced through constructionstage under the CAS and further projects will be progressed in light of the available fundingand competing demands. Funding approval has not been cancelled for any project approved tocommence construction under the Capital Assistance Scheme. Deputy Finian McGrath (I): asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the amount each local authority sought in 2009 in housing adaptation mobility aids and essential repairs grants; the amount allocated to each local authority; the amount each local authority had to provide in matching funds; Minister of State at the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government (Deputy Michael Finneran): My Department’s involvement with the Housing AdaptationGrant Schemes for Older People and People with a Disability relates primarily to the recoupmentof a proportion of local authority expenditure on the payment of individual grants. Theseschemes, introduced in November 2007, are funded by 80% recoupments available from myDepartment together with a 20% contribution from the resources of the local authority. In thecase of the old Disabled Persons’ and Essential Repairs Grant Schemes, these are funded by67% recoupments together with a 33% contribution from the resources of the local authority.The detailed administration of these schemes, including the assessment and approval ofindividual applications, is the responsibility of the relevant local authority.The total estimated demand by local authorities for the operation of the new Housing AdaptationGrant Schemes for Older People and People with a Disability and the old DisabledPersons Grant and Essential Repairs Grant Schemes in 2009 is approximately €147 million.This estimate includes applications that have been received as eligible, as well as applicationsnot yet assessed and the projected intake of new applications during the year.Details of the total estimated demand, the combined exchequer/local authority allocationsand local authority own-resources contributions for 2009 are set out in the following table:
Deputy Ruairí Quinn (L): asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the percentage of local authority housing each county council dedicated to people with disabilities; Minister of State at the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government (Deputy Michael Finneran): It is a matter for individual housing authorities to plan the compositionof their housing programmes having regard to the specific social housing priorities in theirareas and to the Exchequer funding allocated to them, based on the housing needs identified intheir 2008 statutory assessment. The allocation of a dwelling to a household is also a matterfor each individual local authority in accordance with its scheme of letting priorities, the makingof which is a reserved function of the authority under section 11 of the Housing Act 1988. Dataon the proportion of housing allocated by local authorities to people with disabilities are notgathered by my Department.
Deputy John O’Mahony (FG): asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if he will allocate extra funding to pay grants under the housing aid for older people, the housing adaptation grant for people with a disability and the essential repairs grant; Minister of State at the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government (Deputy Michael Finneran): Allocations totalling €79.562 million for 2009 were notified to localauthorities under the Housing Adaptation Grant Schemes for Older People and People with aDisability and the old Disabled Persons and Essential Repairs Grant Schemes on 7 May 2009.These allocations represent an 11.4% increase on the initial allocations for 2008. At this stage,I do not envisage making further allocations to local authorities in respect of the operation ofthese schemes in 2009. However, I will review the funding position later in the year, in theevent of any under-spend by local authorities of their allocations for the grant schemes or otherallocations under the wider social housing investment programme.
Deputy Joe McHugh (FG): asked the Minister for Education and Science if every primary school in County Donegal will be reviewed by the special educational needs organiser in the near future for assessment of special needs assistants posts; the number of SNAs working in County Donegal; the number of Donegal SNA jobs that will be cut; if the SENO is aware of the importance of SNAs for special needs children; his views on whether it is unfair to sack SNAs who have worked for ten years; the amount of notice which schools receive for reviews; Minister for Education and Science (Deputy Batt O’Keeffe): I take it that the Deputy is referring to the review of all Special Needs Assistant (SNA) posts in primary, special and postprimary schools by the National Council for Special Education (NCSE). I wish to advise the Deputy that the NCSE has been requested by my Department to arrange for its Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs) to review SNA allocations in all schools with a view to ensuring that the criteria governing the allocation of such posts are properly met. I wish to clarify that there has been no change in these criteria and the current review will be carried out by reference to those criteria. The review is currently underway and it is intended that it will be completed by the end of this school year. SNAs are sanctioned by SENOs to schools specifically to assist in the care of pupils and students with disabilities in an educational context. SNAs may be appointed to a special school or a mainstream school to assist school authorities in making suitable provision for children who have been assessed as having such needs. For some pupils, as they mature, their care needs may diminish over time. Pupils may move to a different school or on to a post-primary school. In such circumstances, the NCSE will review and adjust the overall level of SNA support in the school concerned. This may mean that some pupils who had previously been supported by a full time SNA may have their needs met through the shared support of an SNA or perhaps they may have no need for SNA support. There are currently 459 whole time equivalent SNAs in primary and post primary schools in Donegal. With regard to the review visit to schools, SENOs contact schools by telephone to agree a date. The SENO subsequently sends a letter confirming the date to the schools. Priority within the budgetary process has been given to allocations for pupils with special educational needs in relation to additional teaching, SNA and other resources (e.g. capital and equipment). Sustaining this priority requires adherence to the criteria underpinning the allocation processes. Notwithstanding the possibility only a minority of SNA allocations do not meet the set criteria, it is necessary to ensure that the criteria are applied in the case of all schools and in a consistent manner. The proper application of the criteria should ensure equity of treatment as between schools and pupils as well as ensuring that inappropriate allocations are not adversely impacting on other services within the education sector. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Education and Science if an audit of the special needs service has been completed; the recommendations that have been made as a result of the audit; if changes are envisaged in this service; and the way he will consult with parents and staff regarding the recommended changes. Minister for Education and Science (Deputy Batt O’Keeffe): The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) has arranged for its Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs) to review Special Needs Assistant (SNA) allocations in all schools with a view to ensuring that the criteria governing the allocation of such posts are properly met. I wish to clarify that there has been no change in these criteria and the current review will be carried out by reference to those criteria. The review is currently underway and it is intended that it will be completed by the end of this school year. It is too early at this point to anticipate the findings that will emerge from the review. My Department is separately carrying out a Value for Money and Policy Review of the Special Needs Assistant Scheme. It is expected that this review will be completed by the end of 2009. The review will examine the SNA support allocated to children with care needs in schools. My officials have met with the Education Partners to advise them of the review and to outline the process involved and have formally invited the partners to furnish their views on the scheme. Engagement has also taken place through focus group meetings with interested parties such as parent representatives, schools, education partners and other representative groups.
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Inclusion
Ireland, Unit C2, The Steelworks, Foley Street, Dublin 1, Ireland.
Tel: 01 8559891 Fax: 01 8559904 Email: info@inclusionireland.ie |