Fiona O'Loughlin (Kildare South, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Similarly, I was looking to see where the capitation grant would come in and felt that it was possibly under this heading That is one of the most important issues for parents and communities.

Every year, surveys carried out by Barnardos and the credit union movement find that families, especially those with more than one school-going child, are under severe pressure and must significantly increase their borrowings. The capitation grant must be increased because schools find it difficult to raise the funds they need as they rely on local communities, which can be extremely difficult depending on location.

I was surprised by the correlation of certain metrics in different expenditure areas. The highest number of metrics - five - was for this subhead. Provided the metrics are appropriate, the more of them that are available, the better because they allow us to examine how money is spent and what types of outputs are delivered. While broadband in schools is extremely important, it is also important that schoolchildren have access to broadband at home. I was surprised that the only metrics provided are on high-speed broadband. It is important that children are computer literate and can use information technology for research purposes and so on. I wonder if DEIS grants are included here. Surely there should be other ways of measuring other grants and services. I ask the Minister to comment.