Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)

As a matter of policy, my Department does not fund patrons or patron bodies. My Department provides annual grants to the recognised management bodies at primary and post-primary level to assist them in providing management support to the schools in their sectors.

Management bodies such as the Catholic Primary Schools Management Association, CPSMA, Educate Together, Church of Ireland Board of Education at primary level or at second level the Joint Managerial Board/Association of Management of Catholic Secondary Schools, JMB/AMCSS, the Irish Vocational Education Association, IVEA, and the Association of Community and Comprehensive Schools, ACCS, provide important support services for schools on employment, legal, financial and other matters. The individual management bodies' remit reflects the particular patronage of the schools which they serve, for example, the CPSMA provides support services to primary schools under Catholic patronage and it is a similar position in relation to each of the other management bodies. The core funding to the management bodies at primary and post-primary level amounts to a total of about €1.4 million per annum.

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