The Minister for Education, Ms Hanafin, has announced the recruitment of 295 additional special-needs assistants to work in some 500 national schools across the State.
Ms Hanafin said the number of children now enjoying the extra support was a "huge advance" as there were fewer than 300 special assistants in place in 1998. That number will now increase to 6,000.
She said she acknowledged "that the speed of response to special needs applications has been too slow in the past and am determined to ensure faster provision for children who need support," and added that she would be "taking action to ensure that any remaining applications are dealt with speedily".
The posts announced today are in addition to the 304 extra Special Needs Assistants already sanctioned in respect of new pupils entering schools this September.
Ms Hanafin said she was going to review measures introduced by her predecessor, Mr Noel Dempsey, that would have changed the way resource teachers are allocated to schools with special needs requirements.
She said the review would be done in consultation with educational interests and the National Council for Special Education before it is implemented. Individual applications for resource teachers will only then be necessary for children with less prevalent disabilities, such as autism.
However, she said no child would lose the support they currently have.
Ms Hanafin said: "Reducing the need for individual applications will ensure that principals and psychologists can spend more time assisting children who need them and less on paperwork."
The Minister said that the passing of the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs Act 2004 and the establishment of the new National Council for Special Education will also help to ensure a faster and more customer-friendly response to applications for special education supports in the future.