Darren O'Rourke (Meath East, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

There was very significant disappointment, which I raised in a Topical Issue with the Minister of State, Deputy Moynihan, on the day of the announcement that the overall funding for the ICT and minor works grants were down from €79 million last year to €65 million this year. All that related to the ICT funding. All this fits into the wider piece of funding for schools. There is a real issue around the increasing costs and the flatline of the overall capitation in particular. This morning the CPSMA said that in the last five years running costs have increased in the region of 70% but capitation funding is at 2008 levels. It has had unprecedented numbers of calls from schools in financial difficulty. This is a major concern. Yesterday, the INTO’s pre-budget submission had an ask of an additional €75 per child in capitation funding.

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