Pa Daly (Kerry, Sinn Fein)
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268. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills to consider a redeployment scheme for SNAs who lose positions in a school and are seeking to be deployed to another school. [6092/24]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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To address the issue of casualisation of employment amongst SNAs, where a school/ETB has an additional allocation of standard SNA hours/posts (e.g. an additional allocation of standard SNA hours/posts or an SNA has left the employment) then that additional allocation of hours/posts must be offered to any existing part-time SNAs in standard SNA posts in that school, in order of seniority, before the employer has recourse to these arrangements.

This means that before an employer opts to recruit further persons as SNAs, they must ensure that all existing part-time SNAs in standard posts in their employment, in order of seniority, have been offered a full-time position in the school or, in the case of ETBs, a full-time position in a school within the ETB scheme.

The purpose of the SNA Supplementary Assignment arrangements is to facilitate eligible SNAs who are being made redundant by one employer in filling SNA vacancies that may become available in another school / ETB.

As recently announced by Minister Madigan, the SNA Workforce Development Unit within Special Education Division in my Department is currently working on the development of the first Special Needs Assistant Workforce Development Plan (the plan). The plan, which will be developed over the next 2 years, will introduce policy developments which will bring clarity and direction to the SNA service. The areas of recruitment and redeployment will be considered as part of the overall work undertaken on the plan.

The plan will be developed in consultation and collaboration with stakeholders including school leaders and the SNAs, giving all parties an opportunity to provide input and share views on the future development and direction of the SNA service.