The Minister for Education and Skills, Ruairí Quinn TD has announced new appointments to the National Council for Special Education (NCSE).
Mr Eamonn Stack has been appointed as Chairman of the Council. Additionally the following appointments to the Council of the NCSE have also been made: Seán Ó Murchú, nominee of Minister for Education and Skills; Prof Mark Morgan, nominee of Minister for Education and Skills; Philip O’Callaghan, nominee of Minister for Education and Skills; Maureen Costello, nominee of Minister for Education and Skills; Jenny Ennis, nominee of Minister for Education and Skills; Eithne Fitzgerald, nominee of National Disability Authority; Michael Coughlan, nominee of National Disability Authority; Mary Friel, Nominee of TUI; Helen Guinan, nominee of the CPSMA/NABMSE; Joan Russell, Nominee of IVEA; Pat Kinsella, Nominee of NAPD; and James O’Grady, nominee of Minister for Health and Children.
The NCSE, established in 2003, is a Statutory Body with the structure and functions set out in the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs (EPSEN) Act 2004. These functions include: planning for, and co-ordinating, the provision of education for children with special educational needs and ensuring that a continuum of special educational provision is available; conducting and carrying out research; providing policy advice to the Minister for Education and Skills in relation to special education; and disseminating information, including best practice, on special education to parents, schools and other interested persons.