Tommy Broughan (Dublin North East, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 245: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if funding will be increased and if she will grant parity of funding to the National Office of Educate Together due to the major development of Educate Together schools in the Dublin region and elsewhere here and the continuing and expanding strong contribution of Educate Together to Irish primary education. [21835/05]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

My Department is currently engaged in discussions with Educate Together in respect of annual funding. The provision of some additional funding in 2005, to meet the immediate issues of concern to Educate Together is under discussion with their longer term needs. The current level of funding my Department provides to Educate Together as a school management body is on a par with that provided to Foras Patrunachta na Gaelscoileanna, the Church of Ireland Board of Education, the Islamic Board of Education and the National Association of Boards of Management in Special Education.

Regarding support for the establishment of new multi-denominational schools, it should be noted that my Department has supported the establishment of many new Educate Together schools in recent years. Of the 24 new schools granted provisional recognition in the past three years, 12 of them are under Educate Together patronage. My Department has made a number of changes in recent years that have made the provision of accommodation for new schools much easier. One of these changes, strongly welcomed by Educate Together, was the abolition of the local contribution to the building costs for State-owned school buildings, which had cost up to €63,500 per school. Other innovations include the development of the design and build model to provide permanent accommodation much faster, such as in the case of the new Educate Together school in Griffeen Valley, Lucan, which was designed and built in under 13 months.