Joe McHugh (Donegal, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I know from my travels around my constituency in recent years that the capitation grant always comes up when I speak with principals of primary and secondary schools. The grant is a lifeline for many schools as they seek to meet their running costs. There was a massive reduction of 11% in 2009. We have increased it by 5% this year. Annual funding would need to increase further by approximately €25.5 million if grants are to be restored to pre-2011 levels. I will not give the Deputy a false picture of how we can get there in a specific period. However, I can give her a commitment that we will have conversations on this matter when we look at our 2019 programme. I have no doubt that it will be discussed at the joint committee. I want the committee to feed into the three-year strategic plan so that we can ascertain how to get there as quickly as possible.

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