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

I ask members and witnesses to turn off their mobile phones or switch them to flight mode because they interfere with the sound system and make it difficult for the parliamentary reporters to report our meetings. Television coverage and web streaming will also be adversely affected.

I thank all the witnesses for their attendance today. This is the second day of our education committee summer school and today we are dealing with No. 4, engagement with stakeholders on school costs and capitation grants. We appreciate the witnesses' attendance as we know this is a very busy time for educators. Many of the witnesses made presentations previously, including Mr. Mulconry who was with us yesterday.

The purpose of this part of this meeting is to have an engagement on school costs and capitation grants to inform the committee and enable us to write a report and make recommendations to the Minister and Department. This is the third hearing as part of a series of engagements by the committee over two days on the general theme of school costs and facilities and challenges facing teaching principals, in particular. In this session we have eight different sets of witnesses. The committee will examine the cost of sending children to school, the level of the capitation grant payable to primary schools and voluntary post-primary schools, and whether this grant is sufficient to minimise the need for additional financial contributions by parents and guardians. We are examining the impact of the costs on parents and schools.

On behalf of the committee, I welcome Ms Áine Lynch, chief executive officer, National Parents Council primary; Mr. Geoffrey Browne, president, National Parents Council post-primary; Ms June Tinsley, head of advocacy and supporter engagement, Barnardos; Ms Marcella Stakem, social policy development officer, Society of St. Vincent de Paul; Ms Mary McDermott, social policy analyst with One Family; Mr. Ed Farrell, chief executive officer, Irish League of Credit Unions; Dr. Michael Redmond, director of research and development, Joint Managerial Body, which was also represented yesterday; and Mr. Seamus Mulconry, general secretary, Catholic Primary School Management Association. The submissions received from the groups make for compelling reading. We are fortunate that Barnardos, the Society of St. Vincent de Paul and the credit unions do such good work. All of us who are involved in these issues find these organisations very informative.

The format of this part of the meeting is that I will invite the witnesses to make a brief opening statement limited to three minutes. Members will than have an opportunity to engage and ask questions and the witnesses will have an opportunity to respond.

Before we begin, I draw witnesses' attention to the fact that by virtue of section 17(2)(l) of the Defamation Act 2009, witnesses are protected by absolute privilege in respect of their evidence to this committee. However, if they are directed by the Chairman to cease giving evidence in relation to a particular matter and they continue to so do, they are entitled thereafter only to a qualified privilege in respect of their evidence. They are directed that only evidence connected with the subject matter of these proceedings is to be given and asked to respect the parliamentary practice to the effect that, where possible, they should not criticise or make charges against any person, persons or entity by name or in such a way as to make him, her or it identifiable. I also advise witnesses that any opening statements they make will be published on the committee website after this meeting.

I call on our first witness, Ms Áine Lynch, CEO of the National Parents Council primary, to make her presentation.