Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour) | Oireachtas source

First, I wish to identify myself and the Labour Party with the words of condolence and solidarity expressed with the people of Toronto and Canada generally in the aftermath of yesterday's dreadful events.

Following a survey of almost 2,000 parents last August, Barnardos published a report on back to school costs. This showed that the average cost of sending a senior infant to school was €355, an increase of €15 on the previous year. That increases to €395 for a fourth class pupil and an astronomical €800 for a second level pupil. Parents stress the burden they face in meeting those costs for uniforms, shoes, books, stationery, trips and so on. There is also the so-called voluntary contribution. The survey found that the average cost of so-called voluntary contributions was €80 per child in senior infants rising to €150 for a second level pupil. Yesterday, the Catholic Primary School Managers Association published another report which showed that the current capitation grant of €170 per pupil covers just 52% of the running cost of schools. It also showed that parents spent €46 million to subvent that shortfall.

The programme for Government contains a commitment to increase capitation payments which has not yet been delivered upon. We have an action plan for education but we do not have an action plan to ensure that the State meets its fundamental role in providing what is set down in law, namely, free primary school education. In each of the last two alternative budgets produced by the Labour Party, we committed to increasing the rate, beginning last year with €10 per pupil. Alongside this, we proposed a further €10 per pupil if the school agreed not to ask for or accept voluntary contributions. That proposal had a modest cost of €15 million, but unfortunately it was not delivered in the budget. In the context of the education expenditure, that amounts to 0.2% of the Department's budget. Tomorrow, my colleague, Senator Aodhán Ó Riordáin, will publish our plan to ban voluntary contributions and place the onus on the State.

Does the Taoiseach agree that so-called voluntary contributions should not be a feature of our school system and should be banned and that there should not be a supposedly voluntary requirement to make contributions to meet day-to-day costs? Will the Taoiseach commit to increase the capitation available to schools in the next budget?

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