Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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I appreciate the opportunity to be here and meet with the committee for its consideration of the Department's Revised Estimates for 2024. I am accompanied by a number of officials from the Department.

These Estimates set out the allocations for the Department of Education under Vote 26. This includes funding for all of the services normally provided by my Department. Additional allocations are also included to fund measures to address some of the impacts Covid has had on pupils, the education sector’s response to the Ukraine crisis and the increased cost of living. A significant capital allocation is also included.

The Revised Estimate for Vote 26 provides for a net allocation of €10.466 billion. This is a gross allocation of €10.853 billion reduced by appropriations-in-aid of some €386 million. The gross allocation has increased by €828 million on the original 2023 gross expenditure allocations. The gross allocation includes €230 million of financial supports for Ukraine, cost-of-living and Covid-related measures. Our continued response to the Ukrainian crisis will be based on the number of additional pupils who have entered our education system in the past two years and the number who will enter the system during the course of 2024.

Excluding the Ukraine, cost-of-living and Covid-related funding, this increase in core funding in 2024 is €688 million, or 6.9%, over 2023. Of this increase, €333 million relates to increases in public sector pay and pension rates, including some provisional funding for the pay deals currently being negotiated. The Department spends more than €8.6 billion on pay and pensions. This represents 80% of the expenditure allocation. Almost 107,000 public servants and 46,700 public service pensioners are paid from these funds. Other significant expenditure areas include capital infrastructure, school transport, capitation grants to schools and grants to other organisations and agencies.

In budget 2024, I secured a significant allocation for primary, post-primary and special needs education for the 2024-25 school year. This included important measures such as the expansion of the provision of free schoolbooks and classroom resources to include junior cycle pupils at post-primary level; increased capitation funding for day-to-day running costs of our schools; continued investment in school transport; almost 2,000 new special needs assistants and special educational needs teachers, extra supports for special schools and the provision for actions to assist teacher supply and middle management supports in schools; and the continued provision of the enhanced summer programme with an overall allocation of €40 million.

The budget also provides important additional funding for curricular and assessment reforms to progress our plans for senior cycle redevelopment and well-being and active schools programmes, which are rooted in the delivery of a modern, inclusive education system that puts the student at the centre of the learning process.

The expansion of the free schoolbooks and classroom resources to junior cycle pupils at post-primary level for the upcoming school year of 2024-25 will benefit 212,000 students. This will add to the 558,000 students currently benefiting in primary and special schools from the initiative that is already up and running there. This is an important further step in providing support to households in meeting cost-of-living pressures. Therefore, we are ensuring free books will be provided for all students from primary right through to junior cycle.

Extra funding is also being provided to primary and post-primary schools to deal with challenges they face in meeting day-to-day running costs. A total of €21 million in full year costs is being provided for a permanent restoration of funding for the running costs of schools, bringing the basic rate of capitation to €200 per student in primary schools and to €345 in post-primary schools.

The 2024 funding allocation makes the biggest-ever commitment to students with special educational needs and their families.

We are building on the progress already made with additional classes, teachers and supports. With an extra 744 teachers for special education and 1,216 new SNAs coming on stream during 2024, for the first time ever we will have more than 20,000 teachers and more than 21,000 SNAs working in the area of special education. There will be more than 40,000 professionals working in the area of special education. There are also additional supports being provided specifically for special schools. I am pleased to have secured such significant investment in our education system, thereby furthering the work of recent years in reducing class sizes, reducing costs for families, tackling disadvantage and supporting the achievement of all our students.

There is additional ring-fenced funding of €120 million to meet the cost of the education sector’s response to the crisis in Ukraine. This provides for the cost of hiring additional teachers and other supports right across the education sector. There are now more than 18,000 students from Ukraine enrolled in our schools and this number is continuing to increase.

Cost-of-living funding of €75 million is being provided to allow for the continuation of reduced school transport fees and a waiver of State examination entry fees, along with the provision for further social inclusion and teacher supply actions. This is in addition to cost-of-living financial supports of €150 million, provided previously to meet the extra running costs of schools arising in 2022, 2023 and 2024.

Under Project Ireland 2040, the education sector will receive a total of €4.4 billion in capital investment over the period 2021 to 2025. This significant investment will deliver high-quality building projects, with a real focus on sustainability for school communities across Ireland. Capital planning and budgeting is undertaken on a multi-annual basis. The allocation of €940 million for 2024 will facilitate the continued delivery of school building projects and other measures.

That is just a flavour of the topics that are reflected in the Estimates. I hope I have been of assistance to the committee. I would be very pleased to address any queries that might arise.