Thomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I will certainly take all of that back to the Department and to my senior Minister. I understand the need for increased capitation funding. Capitation rates have increased by 7.5% in recent years and all schools have benefited from that. The Minister intends to seek funding for further capitation increases in future budgets. In addition, the scope of the regional education and language teams has expanded beyond serving Ukrainian families. It now encompasses the educational needs of all international protection asylum seeker arrivals. I reiterate the Department's commitment to supporting children from refugee and asylum seeker families so they are enabled to continue their education in the State. The Department and the Minister will work to ensure that the funding and resources in place are appropriate to meet the needs of this cohort of children and young people. The bottom line for the Government in all of this is to ensure that all of our obligations and the humanitarian needs of refugees and people under the temporary protection directive are met, that our legal obligations are met, and that the humanitarian rights are protected. It is not about who is making money or not making money; it is about making sure everybody gets what they need. We absolutely accept that the schools need the resources. The Department is committed to providing the resources, as I have outlined in my statements.

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