Seymour Crawford (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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Question 405: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the minimum number of pupils that a primary school can have to allow it to retain a third teacher or have a third teacher appointed; if, in view of the number of trained teachers now available for work and the commitment of the Government to lower the teacher-pupil ratio, she has plans to lower the number of pupils needed for a third teacher in order that smaller rural schools can have the necessary staff available to provide proper structures and teaching to the pupils in isolated rural areas; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [7667/05]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The mainstream staffing of a primary school is determined by applying the enrolment of the school on the 30 September of the previous school year to a staffing schedule, agreed between my Department and the education partners. For the current school year an enrolment of 82 pupils is required for the appointment and retention of a third mainstream class teacher in ordinary primary schools. My Department will finalise the staffing schedule for the 2005-6 school year shortly and thereafter notify school boards of management.

Significant improvements have been made in the pupil-teacher ratio at primary level in recent years. The ratio has fallen from 22.2:1 in the 1996-7 school year to 17.44:1 in the 2003-4 school year. In line with Government policy, my Department will continue to provide further reductions in the pupil-teacher ratio within available resources and subject to spending priorities within the education sector. Priority will be given to pupils with special needs, those from disadvantaged areas and those in junior classes.