Charlie McConalogue (Donegal North East, Fianna Fail)
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91. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills when the value for money review of small primary schools will be published; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50478/13]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal North East, Fianna Fail)
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My question relates to small schools, particularly the value for money report which the Minister has in his hands. How long has he had that report and why has it not been published? Small schools are under severe pressure and particular concerns have been raised about minority ethos schools where minority denominations are under particular pressure. Any change to a small schools policy would be particularly difficult and dangerous for them. Could the Minister outline the current situation with regard to that?

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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I thank the Deputy for his question. I am currently considering the report of the value for money review of small primary schools and I am doing this in consultation with my Government colleagues. My intention is to publish the report on completion of this consideration process. I am not in a position to give a precise publication date at this time. I think I received the final report in February or March but I can come back and give the Deputy that information.

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal North East, Fianna Fail)
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I do not believe it is good enough that this report has not yet been published. I do not see why the Minister should have been sitting on it for possibly nine months at this stage.

Nor do I understand why he cannot outline to the House when it will be published. It has been in his hands. Why has he not published it and why is he not consulting with other political parties and the educational partners? While he has been sitting on this report, the pupil-teacher ratios of two, three and four-teacher schools have been cut every year. This issue is of major concern to those schools. Speaking on behalf of Church of Ireland schools, Dr. Ken Fennelly indicated that, if the Government sought to wind down schools of fewer than 56 pupils, minority faith schools would be disproportionately affected.

It has been reported in the media that a threshold of 85 pupils has been set as the minimum number for schools. Will the Minister confirm whether this is the case? Will he also confirm that he will publish the report? Our party believes we must support those schools, not leave a threat hanging over them.

Olivia Mitchell (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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The Deputy has overstepped his time.

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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I remind the Deputy that the report in question was commissioned by his former colleague, the then Minister Mary Coughlan, a former representative of the Deputy's new constituency of County Donegal. The report contains a set of proposals. It took a long time to be completed and checked. Discussions are ongoing because of the sensitivities to which the Deputy referred and I am not in a position to tell him when the report will be published.

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal North East, Fianna Fail)
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I am not particularly worried about who commissioned the report. I am concerned about what it contains and what the Minister will do about it. Anyone can commission a report, but the Minister is responsible for how he leads the education system and treats our smaller schools. What we have seen from him has been a reduction in schools' capitation and the removal of the minor works grant, although the latter was given a temporary reprieve this year. Under his stewardship, the number of pupils needed by schools to retain their teacher numbers has been increased every year. According to today's Irish Independent, one in five schools is concerned about whether it will be able to retain its number of teachers. The Minister professes publically that he does not wish to close schools at a time while he is making it more difficult for them to exist. He is creating a double jeopardy. By allowing a question mark to hang over schools, parents of children who are now starting out are wondering whether their children will be able to complete their primary education in those schools.

Olivia Mitchell (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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Please, Deputy, allow the Minister to reply.

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal North East, Fianna Fail)
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As such, many of our primary schools question whether they will be able to continue existing. The Minister's continual delay of the report's publication without a reasonable explanation accentuates everyone's concerns.

Olivia Mitchell (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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Please, the Deputy's time has concluded. Everyone must stick to the new regime.

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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I have listened to the concerns raised by many representatives of rural Ireland, including my colleagues in the Labour Party and Fine Gael. Complex issues are involved. I have tried to provide within the constraints in which we found ourselves three years ago. We made a reduction, or a disimprovement as it were, in the pupil-teacher ratio of small schools in order to provide a degree of certainty and to enable school communities to plan for the future, which is the very point the Deputy made. I outlined what the situation would be over three years so that school managements and communities would be aware of it and could make whatever choices they desired as regards other schools in their areas. There are no further proposals for changes in the pupil-teacher ratio.