Ryan O'Meara (Tipperary North, Fianna Fail)

I thank the Minister for attending with her officials. I would like to start with school financing. It is a major issue coming up for me across north Tipperary and north-west Kilkenny, but also nationally and among the representative bodies that are in contact with me. The burden and stress being put on principals in many cases is intolerable for some of those who have contacted me. I will give two examples of where funding is not stretching and what principals are having to do, and I am sure we are all aware of the stories. I visited a school recently where the principal had worked in construction in a previous life and he is the handyman or caretaker around the school to fix everything. I had a phone call the other evening with another principal in a primary school. Her son and his friend come in to do some of the work around the school when it needs to be done because the school simply cannot afford that and, otherwise, there would not be cleaning in the school, for example.

What is being raised with me is the uncertainty around budgeting, and the capitation grant, ICT grant, minor works grant and fundraising are examples. It is extremely difficult for principals in primary schools in particular to budget for the year ahead, which they are expected to do when they do not know exactly what funding they are going to get for that year, with ICT grants being a particular example. Fundraising is another issue that I would like to touch on shortly.

That brings me to the capitation grants, which were introduced by Deputy Micheál Martin during his time in the Department of education. In 2007, they were €200 per child at primary level but during the recession, we saw these cut. I welcome that they are coming back to €224 per child for September 2025 but to match the 2007 level, we would need to see about €280 per child at primary level. That does not take into account inflation in the meantime and the disparity that exists between primary and secondary level. I get the points the Minister has made in relation to additional costs at secondary level but I do not think the level of difference is quite justified. Between 2000 and 2019, we saw very low inflation but we have seen inflation balloon since 2019 in all of the key areas that are facing schools, whether it is heating, lighting or beyond that. I welcome that funding is catching up and work is being done on the capitation grant, but we need to see a lot more on this. According to the Catholic Primary School Management Association, in a review of 90 schools it found that between 2019 and 2024 costs increased in those schools by 60% or 70%. That is the level of inflation we are talking about while we try to ensure the capitation grant catches up.

The voluntary contribution receives a lot of discussion, and that is fair enough. For me, if there is to be a voluntary contribution, it is for things that should be “nice to have” as opposed to the necessities. Right now, the voluntary contribution and fundraising by parents is paying for necessities.

A number of schools have come to my attention that have taken in a large number of IPAS or Ukrainian students, which is a very good thing and very welcome.

However, in some cases those schools now have such a level of non-national or non-local children that the level of fundraising in the school is decreasing while the financial demands are increasing at the same time. I see a number of schools in my constituency getting caught in that trap. Funding is needed for those schools in particular, which are doing an extraordinary level of work in that area. My question on this first point I am raising on financing is around the capitation grant. Will the Minister consider establishing an independent committee, taking on board stakeholders in the sector, to look at financing for these schools going forward and the level of funding to which we need to increase to provide the finances they really need?