Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 673: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the number of children under nine years who are in classes of over 20 pupils in a school (details supplied) in Dublin 24; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25830/06]

Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 674: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the number of children under nine years who are in classes of over 20 pupils in a school (details supplied) in Dublin 24; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25831/06]

Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 675: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the number of children under nine years who are in classes of over 20 pupils in a school (details supplied) in Dublin 24; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25832/06]

Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 676: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the number of children under nine years who are in classes of over 20 pupils in a school (details supplied) in Dublin 24; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25833/06]

Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 677: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the number of children under nine years who are in classes of over 20 pupils in a school (details supplied) in Dublin 24; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25834/06]

Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 678: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the number of children under nine years who are in classes of over 20 pupils in a school (details supplied) in Dublin 24; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25835/06]

Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 679: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the number of children under nine years who are in classes of over 20 pupils in a school (details supplied) in Dublin 24; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25836/06]

Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 680: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the number of children under nine years who are in classes of over 20 pupils in a school (details supplied) in Dublin 24; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25837/06]

Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 681: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the number of children under nine years who are in classes of over 20 pupils in a school (details supplied) in Dublin 24; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25838/06]

Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 682: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the number of children under nine years who are in classes of over 20 pupils in a school (details supplied) in Dublin 24; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25839/06]

Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 683: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the number of children under nine years who are in classes of over 20 pupils in a school (details supplied) in Dublin 24; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25840/06]

Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 684: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the number of children under nine years who are in classes of over 20 pupils in a school (details supplied) in Dublin 24; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25841/06]

Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 685: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the number of children under nine years who are in classes of over 20 pupils in a school (details supplied) in Dublin 24; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25842/06]

Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 686: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the number of children under nine years who are in classes of over 20 pupils in a school (details supplied) in Dublin 24; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25843/06]

Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 687: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the number of children under nine years who are in classes of over 20 pupils in a school (details supplied) in Dublin 24; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25844/06]

Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 688: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the number of children under nine years who are in classes of over 20 pupils in a school (details supplied) in Dublin 24; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25845/06]

Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 689: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the number of children under nine years who are in classes of over 20 pupils in a school (details supplied) in Dublin 24; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25846/06]

Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 690: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the number of children under nine years who are in classes of over 20 pupils in a school (details supplied) in Dublin 24; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25847/06]

Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 691: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the number of children under nine years who are in classes of over 20 pupils in a school (details supplied) in Dublin 24; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25848/06]

Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 692: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the number of children under nine years who are in classes of over 20 pupils in a school (details supplied) in Dublin 24; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25849/06]

Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 693: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the number of children under nine years who are in classes of over 20 pupils in a school (details supplied) in Dublin 24; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25850/06]

Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 694: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the number of children under nine years who are in classes of over 20 pupils in a school (details supplied) in Dublin 24; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25851/06]

Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 695: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the number of children under nine years who are in classes of over 20 pupils in a school (details supplied) in Dublin 24; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25852/06]

Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 696: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the number of children under nine years who are in classes of over 20 pupils in a school (details supplied) in Dublin 24; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25853/06]

Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 697: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the number of children under nine years who are in classes of over 20 pupils in a school (details supplied) in Dublin 24; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25854/06]

Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 698: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the number of children under nine years who are in classes of over 20 pupils in a school (details supplied) in Dublin 24; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25855/06]

Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 699: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the number of children under nine years who are in classes of over 20 pupils in a school (details supplied) in Dublin 24; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25856/06]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 673 to 699, inclusive, together.

The information requested by the Deputy is provided in the following table. However, because of variation in class size and ages of pupils across standards in certain schools the information for those schools is not available for the 2005/2006 school year and this is also indicated on the attachment. Major improvements in school staffing have been made in recent years with the hiring of more than 5,000 additional primary teachers. This represents the largest increase in teacher numbers since the expansion of free education. Today there is one teacher for every 17 children, the lowest pupil-teacher ratio in the history of the State.

Aside from decreasing average class size, the unprecedented increase in school staffing in recent years has also greatly improved the services provided for children with special needs and those from disadvantaged areas. Under DEIS (Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools) the action plan for educational inclusion that I launched in May, 2005, there will be a reduction in class sizes to 24:1 at senior level and 20:1 at junior level in the 180 primary schools serving communities with the highest concentrations of disadvantage. With more than 600 extra resource teachers put in place in this school year, children with special needs are getting more support than ever before. It should be acknowledged how much progress has been made in this area in recent years.

Recently I announced that I have secured sufficient funding to provide even smaller classes in our primary schools in the next school year and the Minister for Finance has committed to a further reduction in class size in the following year. Accordingly, over the next 2 years, my Department will put 500 extra teachers into primary schools to reduce class size and to tackle disadvantage. The mainstream staffing of a primary school is determined by reference to the enrolment of the school on the 30th September of the previous school year. The actual number of mainstream posts sanctioned is determined by reference to a staffing schedule which is issued annually to all primary schools. At present the general rule is that the schedule provides at least one classroom teacher for every 29 pupils in the school. Of course, schools with only one or two teachers have much lower staffing ratios than that — with two teachers for just 12 pupils in some cases and so on — but the general rule is that there is at least one classroom teacher for every 29 children in the school. Next year this is being reduced to 28 children per classroom teacher and in 2007/2008 it will be reduced to 27 children per classroom teacher. In speaking about staffing in our schools, we have consistently said that priority would be given in the first instance to children in disadvantaged schools and those with special needs. We have done this. And now, in line with the Government commitment, mainstream class sizes are also being reduced.