Carol Nolan (Offaly, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I welcome that the Department is examining the issue of back-to-school costs, which, as consistently highlighted by Sinn Féin, puts a huge amount of pressure on families every year. I welcome that it is acknowledged. However, I am concerned about the lack of detail in the circular. I wonder whether the Minister's approach in this regard is the right one. For example, capitation in schools has been already cut by 11% and it is wrong to link capitation to schools' efforts to reduce back-to-school costs. It is critically important that capitation is restored to schools as soon as possible. I was disappointed that provision was not made for this in the last budget.

I am concerned that schools will have a different rate of capitation, which will cause confusion. This will also introduce an element of inconsistency in the funding model for schools. Will schools lose out on funding if school costs rise and what model will be used to allocate the funding? There are a lot of unanswered questions in respect of this circular. Can the Minister confirm that all schools will have their full capitation rates restored as a matter of priority - an issue I have also raised with the Minister on the education committee - and can he set out a timeframe for the restoration of capitation because schools are struggling to pay running costs?

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