Hildegarde Naughton (Galway West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for her question. As she said, the summer programme has gone from strength to strength over the years. One of the key barriers to the participation of schools previously has been the availability of staff, particularly experienced staff already working in the schools. In 2023, to maximise the budget, teachers and SNAs working on the school-based programme were paid a higher personal rate of pay so that more schools would take part.

As the Deputy indicated, the capitation rate in mainstream schools was €45 per week in 2023 and the rate in 2024 is €30. We wanted to focus on those areas with the most complex needs. The capitation rate for special schools remains at €60 per week to reflect the unique circumstances of running the programme in those settings.

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