Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for her question. The pupil-teacher ratio was reduced from September 2016 so it has been reduced for this current year. In this year's budget we addressed other issues, namely, the expansion of the new resource teaching allocation for children with special educational needs. The question was also asked by Deputy Connolly around disadvantaged schools. Each year we look at the moneys available and allocate them to education priorities. I assure Deputy O'Loughlin that class size, disadvantage, special educational needs, guidance counselling and the issues we have discussed many times in committee remain high priorities.

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