Willie Penrose (Westmeath, Labour)
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Question 11: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the way in which she proposed to deploy the 500 extra teachers announced recently; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39671/05]

Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Labour)
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Question 16: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the progress she expects to make in 2006 in reaching the commitment in An Agreed Programme for Government to reduce class sizes for under nines to 20:1 or less; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39680/05]

Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Independent)
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Question 22: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the way in which she intends to reduce the pupil-teacher ratio in Kildare at primary level in view of the fact that it is the highest in the country; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39344/05]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 100: To ask the Minister for Education and Science her plans to bring pupil-teacher ratios into line with commitments entered into at the general election in 2002; when she expects to bring Irish standards in this regard up to best practice throughout Europe; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39597/05]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 11, 16, 22 and 100 together.

Major improvements in school staffing have been made in recent years with the hiring of more than 5,000 additional primary teachers. This represents the largest increase in teacher numbers since the expansion of free education. The annual estimated value of the additional expenditure on these posts is over €200 million. In 1996-97, the average class size in our primary schools was 27; it is now 24. In 1996-97, there was one teacher for every 22 children in our primary schools, while today, there is one teacher for every 17 children, which the lowest pupil-teacher ratio in the history of the State.

Aside from decreasing average class size, the unprecedented increase in school staffing in recent years has also greatly improved the services provided for children with special needs and those from disadvantaged areas. Under the action plan for tackling disadvantage published earlier this year, there will be a reduction in class sizes of 24:1 at senior level and 20:1 at junior level in 150 primary schools serving communities with the highest concentrations of disadvantage. With more than 600 extra resource teachers allocated this term and 5,000 teachers assigned to children with special needs and learning difficulties — a figure that represents one in five teachers — children with special needs are getting more support than ever before. It should be acknowledged how much progress has been made in this area in recent years.

There is more to be done to reduce class sizes. I recently announced that I have secured sufficient funding to provide even smaller classes in our primary schools in the next school year and the Minister for Finance has committed to a further reduction in class size in the following year. Accordingly, over the next two years, my Department will put 500 extra teachers into our schools to reduce class size and to tackle disadvantage. This will be done by changing the staffing schedule. The mainstream staffing of a primary school is determined by applying the enrolment of the school on 30 September of the previous school year to a staffing schedule, which is issued annually to all primary schools.

The general rule is that the schedule provides at least one classroom teacher for every 29 pupils in the school. Of course, schools with only one or two teachers have much lower staffing ratios than that, with two teachers for just 12 pupils in some cases, but the general rule is that there is at least one classroom teacher for every 29 children in the school. Next year, this will be reduced to 28 children per classroom teacher and in 2007-08, it will be reduced to 27 children per classroom teacher. Officials of my Department are currently drawing up the revised staffing schedule necessary to achieve this. Schools will be asked to use the extra class teachers provided as a result of the revised schedule to provide for smaller classes in the junior grades.

In speaking about staffing in our schools, we have consistently said that priority would be given in the first instance to children in disadvantaged schools and those with special needs. We have done this and, in line with the Government commitment, mainstream class sizes are also being reduced.

Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Labour)
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I am slightly confused by the Minister's response. She stated the majority of teachers will be allocated to tackle educational disadvantage.

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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This would have been the case in the past.

Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Labour)
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Will the 500 teachers be deployed across the board to reduce pupil-teacher ratios?

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The staffing schedule applies to mainstream schools throughout the country, with the most disadvantaged schools receiving more favourable treatment.

Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Labour)
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How many of the additional 500 teachers does the Minister expect to be deployed next year?

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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I expect at least 200 and possibly up to 300 teachers to be deployed next year.

Olwyn Enright (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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Is there sufficient capacity in school buildings to accommodate these teachers? Will they have classrooms in which to work? This is a genuine concern.

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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If any school informs me that it does not have sufficient room for an extra teacher, I will advise it to wait until the next year if it does not wish to take on the new teacher.

Olwyn Enright (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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I am being serious.

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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I suggest that schools would be happy enough to take on extra teachers even if they do not have the space for them. Of course, it will place capital demands on schools, which we have anticipated. We will be forced to build more classrooms as the schedule is reduced. This will take place in the context of the capital programme. However, if any school does not want its extra teacher and would prefer to wait for a classroom, it can do so but I do not think it is likely.