Charlie McConalogue (Donegal North East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Anyone involved in a primary school who has been listening to the Minister's answer will be disappointed that she has not given any assurances in that respect. I hope when it comes to the crunch in the budget on 14 October there will some good news for them in respect of the grant.

I was hoping for a response from the Minister to indicate she is aware of the importance of the grant to schools. We are well aware of the financial situation the country is in and the difficulties in terms of budgets. Perhaps the Minister could indicate an awareness of the importance of this payment to the budgets of schools. It is worth a minimum of €5,500 to every school in the country. The grant could be worth €8,000 or €9,000 to a three-teacher school with 80 pupils. As a result of the grant not being paid, schools have had to ask for this money from the community and parents. This has led to a major increase for financially strapped parents in the cost of sending their children to school. The Government is overseeing a situation where far more financial pressure is put on these parents as a result.

Will the Minister indicate whether she comprehends the importance of this?. During the coming week as she negotiates with the Minister for Finance, she should ensure the restoration of the grant to national schools is at the top of her priority list.

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