Jimmy Deenihan (Kerry North, Fine Gael)
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Question 515: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if she will provide core State funding for Educate Together, the national representative organisation for multi-denominational schools; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35928/05]

Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 544: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if she has met the group Educate Together which runs 39 schools; her views on whether this group should be recognised as a development body with education and given realistic levels of funding to provide technical support for its school network and to undertake new initiatives in education methods and out of school developments; and the basis on which the present grant to this organisation has been calculated. [35287/05]

Tony Gregory (Dublin Central, Independent)
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Question 552: To ask the Minister for Education and Science her response to the service level agreement proposed by Educate Together to facilitate its work as a patron body to provide the necessary services for parents wishing to establish a multi-denominational school; if this proposed State aid will be proportionate to the patron body's activity in opening schools; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35548/05]

Tony Gregory (Dublin Central, Independent)
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Question 553: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if funding will be granted to the Educate Together organisation on a par with the €400,000 per annum granted to the Gaelscoil movement. [35549/05]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 515, 544, 552 and 553 together.

I met representatives of Educate Together some months ago at which various issues, including the matter of funding, were discussed. The level of funding that the Department of Education and Science provides for Educate Together as a school management body is on a par with that provided for Foras Patrúnachta na Scoileanna Lánghaeilge, the Church of Ireland Board of Education, the Islamic Board of Education and the National Association of Boards of Management in Special Education.

Following discussions with Educate Together the Department of Education and Science has provided additional funding for Educate Together in 2005 to meet the immediate issues of concern to that body. As I indicated in my statement on the publication of the Estimates for 2006, extra funding will be made available to the primary school management bodies, including Educate Together, and I will be in touch with them in the coming weeks about the matter.

Regarding support for the establishment of new multi-denominational schools, the Department of Education and Science 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 are under Educate Together patronage, 11 of which are open.

The Department of Education and Science has made a number of changes in recent years which have made the provision of accommodation for new schools much easier. One of these changes, which was 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 more quickly, such as in the case of the new Educate Together school in Griffeen Valley, Lucan which was designed and built in less than 13 months.

The issue of additional funding for Educate Together from other State sources is essentially a matter for Educate Together to pursue with the relevant interests outside of the Department of Education and Science.