Jonathan O'Brien (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I welcome that the Minister will not proceed with the pilot for the upcoming academic year in light of the genuine concerns that have been raised by parents and schools. While I agree wholeheartedly with the proposals contained in the new model, these concerns have to be addressed and, given the time and resource constraints on the Department, I support the introduction of a pilot project. However, the issue that arises in respect of the pilot project is that it will be based on voluntary opt-in. I do not think any school will opt into a system which could result in the loss of resources. That needs to be borne in mind when the pilot project is being developed.

There is no doubt that we are dealing with the same number of resources but they will be divided differently. Some schools will gain and others will lose. Perhaps the Department would be willing to carry out a scoping exercise based on the principle of what you have you hold to determine the cost arising to it for a school that gets an increased resource allocation under the new model. Is the Minister willing to commit to some sort of scoping exercise?

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