Barry Andrews (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)

On behalf of the Minister for Education and Science, Deputy Batt O'Keeffe, I am pleased to be given the opportunity to clarify for the House the position on the funding arrangements for fee-charging Protestant schools. I reassure Senator Norris that I, with my colleagues in government, recognise the importance of ensuring students from a Protestant background can attend a school which reflects their denominational status. The Senator will be aware that the Minister for Education and Science has met representatives of both the Church of Ireland and the Grand Orange Lodge of Ireland to discuss the funding position of Protestant schools and the background to the decision in the October budget to remove certain grants from such schools. The Minister emphasises that no changes have been made to the block grant which is expected to be €6.5 million in this school year. It covers capitation, tuition and boarding costs-----