475 Ms B. Moynihan-Cronin asked the Minister for Education and Science the number of principals schools in County Kerry which have benefited from her recent announcement on administrative principals; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [7165/07]

The announcement to which the Deputy refers was part of a series of initiatives which I was pleased to introduce to assist primary school principals with significant levels of non-teaching duties.

The initiatives included provision, for the first time, for the appointment of administrative Deputy Principals in primary schools with 24 or more mainstream class teachers and for the appointment, on an administrative basis, of the Principal teacher in primary schools which have a Principal and four or five mainstream class teachers and also have a specialist autism unit established under approval of the National Council for Special Education.

At present, no primary school in County Kerry qualifies for the allocation of an administrative principal post under these initiatives.