Arthur Morgan (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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Question 597: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the number of career guidance councillors here; and the number and percentage of second level schools which do not have a career guidance teacher. [32581/05]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The Department of Education and Science makes a specific ex quota allocation of teaching posts in respect of guidance to schools in the second level system. This allocation is based on the pupil enrolment in September of the preceding school year. As a result of my decision to allocate an additional 100 posts to guidance from September 2005, an enhanced guidance allocation provision was put in place for 2005-2006 school year. This enhanced provision means that in the case of schools in the free education/block grant schemes, the level of allocation ranges from eight hours per week for schools with enrolments below 200 pupils to 47 hours per week for schools with an enrolment of 1,000 pupils or more. In addition certain schools had previously been allocated hours in response to particular needs or as part of the guidance enhancement initiative. These schools have been permitted to retain this higher allocation for the 2005-06 school year.

In the case of schools outside the free education/block grant schemes, 11 hours per week are allocated in respect of schools in the 350 — 499 enrolment category and a full post is allocated in the case of schools with 500 or more pupils.

There are 681 whole-time equivalent guidance posts allocated to second level schools. All schools in the free education/block grant schemes receive an allocation for guidance. There are nine fee-charging post-primary schools, 1.2%, whose pupil enrolment is below 350 and, therefore, do not receive an allocation for guidance.