The Education Minister has received Cabinet approval for extra resources to reverse planned cuts to special needs education from September.

A massive rise in applications for resource teaching services had meant students were facing a cut in teaching hours.

But Ruairi Quinn has been given permission to allocate an extra 500 teaching posts in September. It comes on the same day a Fianna Fáil motion on the issue was to be debated in the Dáil.

Minister Quinn said "Today I have secured Cabinet agreement to release 500 additional teaching posts to schools in September to cope with the alarming rise in the demand for these resources. These posts were set aside to meet the late demand expected to arise over the remainder of the next school year. This is a once-off measure that will have Budgetary implications which I have alerted my colleagues to today."

Lorraine Dempsey of the Special Needs Parents Association says it is the right move and that parents will be very relieved.

She spoke to Lunchtime here on Newstalk.

The Education Minister has also established a working group on how to go forward with special needs education given what he says is the unsustainable increase in demand.

Former Chief Inspector Eamon Stack is to chair the group. It is due to report in September with proposals for a fairer system.

It will include parents and advocacy groups and is to begin its work immediately.

The group will probe the reasons for the unprecedented 12% rise in applications for resource teacher support this year. This compares with an annual 1.3% increase in the number of students attending school in the current year.

The Minister added that "Parents can be assured that their children will not be disadvantaged while we are moving towards a new model that will ensure greater fairness and quality of education for children with special educational needs."