Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)

Primary school principals across Cavan and Monaghan have raised with me consistently the ongoing challenges they face in meeting day-to-day expenditure requirements. There have been improvements in recent years in capitation payments and I hope that budget 2026 will provide for a further increase. School principals and boards of management outline clearly the need for further financial assistance. Energy costs, including for electricity and oil, and insurance account for a substantial proportion of the overall capitation grant. One principal said to me that insurance was a dreadful burden on the school's resources. Some schools do not receive a meaningful ancillary grant payment. There are many other calls on the capitation grant, including the purchase of essential teaching resources and ongoing maintenance costs. I am aware of small schools that have substantial professional fees to pay for the preparation of applications for emergency minor works projects, all coming from the capitation grant, without certainty of approval of such applications. Classrooms need to be properly resourced and there cannot be more and more demands on school staff, parents, boards of management, parents associations-----

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