Seán Haughey (Dublin North Central, Fianna Fail)

The review process operated under the direction of an independent person, charged with ensuring that all relevant identification processes and procedures were properly followed in the case of schools applying for a review. Mercy College applied for review but was not successful.

The main focus of social inclusion measures will be to retain resources in DEIS schools. There is a need to target resources on those schools that are most need and this approach is in line with the broad thrust of the recommendations of the Comptroller and Auditor General, which are set out in his report on primary disadvantage 2006, which recommended that the Department should focus its educational disadvantage measures on those schools serving the most disadvantaged communities.

Over 70 post-primary schools that were not identified for inclusion in DEIS retained resources, both teaching posts and financial, under pre-existing schemes and programmes for addressing educational disadvantage. When DEIS was introduced, it was intended that as a concessionary measure to these schools, they would retain a level of support for the duration of the current DEIS initiative up until the end of the 2009 and 2010 school year.

While it is appreciated that the discontinuation of these resources will impact on these schools, including Mercy College, given the current challenging economic climate, difficult decisions had to be made in order to contain public sector spending. One of these decisions was to advance the withdrawal of such supports from non-DEIS schools to the beginning of the next school year. Other decisions included increasing the pupil-teacher ratio across all second-level schools from 18:1 to 19:1. In the case of fee-charging post-primary schools, there will be an additional one-point adjustment to 20:1.

Taken in combination, the impact of the staffing schedule changes, withdrawal of historic DEIS posts and language support weighed off against increases expected in the numbers of teachers for demographics and resource teachers for special needs will mean an overall net reduction of 200 posts at second level. This is less than 1% of the overall number of teaching posts in second level schools currently. Measured against the overall payroll target reduction across the public sector it demonstrates the Government's desire to protect front-line staff in schools to the greatest extent possible.

As the processing of the September 2008 enrolment returns for post-primary schools are not yet finalised, it is not possible at this time to outline to the House the impact these changes will have on the allocation of mainstream teaching posts for the 2009 and 2010 school year for the school in question. The staffing schedule for that school year will issue to all schools as soon as possible, and at that time, a more accurate indication of the mainstream staffing levels will be available.

The allocation processes include appellate mechanisms under which schools can appeal against the allocation due to them under the staffing schedules. This is particularly relevant at post-primary level where the appellate process considers in particular any specific curricular needs of the school concerned. At post-primary there is no effective system-wide redeployment scheme at present and this can mean that schools retain teachers, although over quota. In addition, discrete allocations are made to post-primary schools — for example, to cater for pupils with special educational needs and those with language difficulties — and these allocations can also alter the ultimate position of the school with regard to any over-quota position.

The Department of Education and Science is aware of funding pressures on schools. However, progress has been made in recent years that has seen the post-primary school capitation grant increased by €15 per pupil, and it now amounts to €331 per pupil. In addition, voluntary secondary schools have benefited by the increase of €15 per pupil in 2008 in the support services grant, bringing that grant to €204 per pupil. The cumulative increase of €30 per pupil in a voluntary secondary school brings the aggregate grant to €535 per pupil. These grants are in addition to the per capita funding of up to €40,000 per school that is also provided by the Department to secondary schools towards secretarial and caretaking services.

Budget allocations for schools in the community and comprehensive school sector, along with those in the VEC sector, are increased on a pro rata basis with increases in the per capita grant. All schools are eligible for recurrent per capita grants towards special classes and curricular support grants.

The funding mechanisms in place afford schools considerable flexibility in the use of their resources to cater for the needs of their pupils. The Minister, Deputy Batt O'Keeffe, appreciates that the abolition of a number of grants for some schools will impact on funding levels in 2009 but it is also the case that enhanced levels of funding announced in the budget for the capitation and ancillary services grants will help to alleviate the impact of this.

I thank the Deputy for providing me with the opportunity to address the House on this matter and to outline the current position.

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