Mick Wallace (Wexford, Independent)
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Question 6: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he will provide the number and location of resource teachers for travellers posts nationwide for the 2009/2010 and 2010/2011 school years; the number of these positions that will be retained through the alleviation measures in September 2011; for schools with less than 33 traveller pupils, will any reduction in resource teachers for travellers be alleviated by an increase in learning support teachers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9978/11]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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RTT posts and teaching hours for Traveller pupils will be withdrawn, effective from 31 August 2011. Traveller pupils who are eligible for learning support teaching should receive this tuition through the existing learning support provision in schools. All schools should select students for learning support on the basis of priority of need.

The expected budgetary target reduction in the number of RTT posts and teaching hours for Travellers, based on estimated provision for 2011, was 723 whole-time equivalent, WTE, posts, comprising an estimated 500 WTE posts at primary school level and 223 posts at post-primary school level. It was estimated that 123 posts should be used for adjustment or alleviation purposes for schools, resulting in an overall net saving of 600 posts.

At the end of January 2011, in respect of the 2010-11 school year, the number of RTTs employed amounted to a total of 709.54 WTE posts nationwide, comprising 488 posts at primary school level and 221.54 posts at post-primary level. At the end of January 2010, in respect of the 2009-10 school year, the actual number of RTTs employed amounted to a total of 712 WTE posts nationwide, comprising 486 posts at primary school level and 226 posts at post-primary level.

For schools other than DEIS schools in receipt of enhanced pupil teacher ratios, alleviation measures are being provided to assist schools with high concentrations of Traveller pupils who were previously supported by RTT posts. Proposed alleviation measures must be considered in the context of the limited resources available to my Department and they are being concentrated on schools that have 33 or more pupils supported by RTT posts. A total of 38 learning support alleviation posts have been allocated to such schools to date.

Mick Wallace (Wexford, Independent)
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The Minister referred to schools that have 33 or more pupils supported by RTT posts. A school with 200 kids of whom 33 are from the Traveller community is entitled to a learning support teacher. However, RTTs are being done away with for schools with fewer than 33 RTT supported pupils. Are they supposed to fall under the remit of the learning support system?

I was approached by Clonroche national school. It has 110 pupils, of whom 23 are from the Traveller community and another 25 are in receipt of learning support. That is a total of 48 kids, which is almost half the school population. The school had one learning support teacher and 1.5 resource teachers for Travellers to deal with the 48 kids. The number of teachers has reduced to one because it does not meet the threshold of having 33 pupils supported by RTT posts. A school up the road has 33 kids but its enrolment is twice that of Clonroche national school and, therefore, it has more learning support teachers.

One teacher must cope with 48 kids who need special attention, of whom 23 have a Traveller background, in a school with an enrolment of 110. Even the brightest kids in the class will suffer and not only the Traveller children or those on learning support. Just about every kid in the school will suffer because it is unfair and they will not be able to cope. I realise the money is not there for everything but, in special cases, the Minister surely has to examine the position. It is too unfair on the kids in these areas, which are generally underprivileged.

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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I understand the Deputy's concern. I have received many representations from different Members in the Wexford constituency about this school. I am not sure what can be done. I accept that the overall impact of the reduction of certain supports should be examined in the context of how schools are struggling to provide for existing pupils who need support. I will examine the Clonroche case again and I will write to the Deputy about it because it is too complex within the context of Question Time to respond to it in considerable detail.

Mick Wallace (Wexford, Independent)
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Thank you, Minister. I wrote to the 99 national schools in County Wexford and I discovered that many of them are not badly affected. I met representatives of Pavee Point earlier this week and they explained that money was being spent on Travellers under a number of headings that should not have been spent and value for money assessments needed to be carried out in these areas. There is a need in this area and it will not be looked after but, in the past, money was spent in areas where it was not needed. A school might have 30 Traveller kids one year but the following year it might only have had ten, yet it received the same funding both years. The Pavee Point representatives admit this issue could have been addressed better with less money.