Shane Ross (Dublin South, Independent)
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This is an issue which has come up on several occasions in recent budgets because of the fears of minority religions that the education of pupils in their particular ethos has been threatened by budget cuts or other cuts in the past. The Minister will be aware that their fears were realised by his predecessor, Batt O'Keeffe, not very long ago.

At this time of year it is appropriate that representatives in this House should at least put in a plea that in the incoming budget, although I do not expect the Minister to give me any assurances on that, the ethos of minority religions will be protected. It might be helpful if I reminded the Minister that this issue was raised in the previous Dáil by no less a person than the then Deputy Enda Kenny and Deputy Brian Hayes in support of the plea I make now. It was also supported at the time these funds were threatened by Archbishop Diarmuid Martin, who supported the right of minority faiths to educate their own flock in their own ethos.

I ask the Minister to bear in mind when the budget discussions come up that there should be no further cuts in the budget for minority schools. It is not just Protestants who believe that. Other minority schools believe this is a right which should not be threatened. There are many fears among Protestant schools that they will have to close if their funding is cut any further. The evidence for that is obvious because the tradition of paying special grants to minority schools was guaranteed originally by the then Minister for Education and one of the Minister's predecessors, Donogh O'Malley, who in 1967 gave this pledge which, unfortunately, has now been broken.

One of the reasons minority schools need a grant which differentiates them from the normal schools here is because of their need to establish boarding schools. Boarding schools by their very nature are much more expensive and the reason for the pupils attending boarding schools is obvious. As a minority with small numbers they are spread-eagled geographically and a school that is suitable for their education must be located in an area which they can all attend rather than only a few of them attending.

In view of the fact that further cuts would be threatening to their ethos and reduce pupil-teacher ratios, and that they are suggesting that schools may have to close if there are further cuts, and given also that they are already stretched, will the Minister consider favourably a plea that their ethos will be protected and that there should be no further financial stringency imposed upon them?

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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I assume the Deputy is referring to the withdrawal of certain funding from minority faith schools with effect from 1 January 2009, which realised an annual saving of €2.8 million to the Exchequer. The grant was withdrawn due to real concerns about the constitutionality of making it available to fee-charging schools of one ethos and not to those of another.

As these schools no longer receive funding, the question of a further cut does not arise. The Deputy will appreciate that in advance of any decisions by the Government in the context of the upcoming budget, as he mentioned, he does not expect to nor am I at liberty to speculate on measures that may be announced.

There are 26 distinctively Protestant schools and one Jewish school. Of these schools, the Jewish school and 20 of the Protestant schools charge fees. Many of the schools have a boarding facility, reflecting the dispersed nature of the communities across the country. The six Protestant schools within the free education scheme receive the same funding as all other schools within the free education system.

This Government recognises the importance of ensuring that students from a Protestant or reformed church background can attend a school that reflects their denominational ethos while at the same time ensuring that funding arrangements are in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution. I remind the Deputy that the Constitution specifically states that the State shall not discriminate against one religion in favour of another.

With regard to the fee-charging Protestant schools, an arrangement exists whereby funding is paid to the Secondary Education Committee, an organisation run by the churches involved in running the schools. The Secondary Education Committee then disburses funds to the Protestant fee-charging schools on behalf of pupils who would otherwise have difficulty with the cost of boarding fees and who, in the absence of such financial support, would be unable to attend a second level school of a reformed church or Protestant ethos. Funding amounts to €6.5 million annually. Arrangements are in place for the Jewish school also.

There are no changes proposed in respect of the Protestant block grant. Teachers in all fee-charging schools are paid by the State. This arrangement pre-dated the introduction of free education arrangements and has existed since the foundation of the State and predates the foundation of the State. The estimated cost of these posts in 2011 is of the order of €100 million. I am already on record as saying that this is not a simple matter as these arrangements, which are historic and of long standing, impact upon a substantial number of schools which cater for religious minorities.

Shane Ross (Dublin South, Independent)
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I thank the Minister for his response. I ask him to elaborate on his statement that there are no changes proposed in respect of the Protestant block grant. Does that mean there will be none? Is that a pledge or just the current position? In other words, does that mean it will not happen and that we can reassure the Protestant community and those of a different ethos that this will not happen in the foreseeable future?

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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As the Deputy would be aware, this country has lost its economic sovereignty. We are under a programme of restructuring. We are required to extract from the public expenditure side of our equation a sum of the order of €3.63 billion plus for the coming fiscal year, 2012.

Shane Ross (Dublin South, Independent)
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It is €4 billion.

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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That is the Deputy's educated estimate. I will stick to the brief I have. That money will be a mixture of expenditure reduction and changes in taxation, and decisions on those matters have not yet been finalised. They are under active discussion.

The Department of Education and Skills is one of the big spending Departments along with the Department of Health and the Department of Social Protection, so I must look at areas in which I can reduce expenditure in a prudent and responsible way. I am aware of the deep concerns within the Protestant or Reformed Church community about possible additional reductions which would have a disproportionate impact on their school infrastructure. I have met some people about the matter and Deputies on all sides of the House have been contacted about it. There are real concerns on the part of people who have expressed them about what could possibly happen to schools of their ethos. I am highly sensitive to their concerns.