John Deasy (Waterford, Fine Gael)
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Question 272: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the non-pay funding awarded by her Department in respect of voluntary secondary schools in each year since 2001. [37338/06]

John Deasy (Waterford, Fine Gael)
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Question 273: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the non-pay funding awarded by her Department in respect of vocational secondary schools in each year since 2001. [37339/06]

John Deasy (Waterford, Fine Gael)
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Question 274: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the non-pay funding awarded by her Department in respect of community or comprehensive secondary schools in each year since 2001. [37340/06]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 272 to 274, inclusive, together.

Details of non-pay funding, as requested by the Deputy, are set out in the table.

The funding arrangements made by my Department for voluntary secondary, comprehensive & community and VEC schools and colleges reflect the different management and ownership arrangements that apply to schools at second level. Voluntary secondary schools, in the Free Education scheme, which are privately owned and managed, are funded by way of per capita grants.

Community and Comprehensive schools are funded on a budget basis, that is based mainly on pupil numbers, but also take into account additional factors which vary from school to school such as disadvantaged status, age of buildings, size of school etc. Financial allocations for Vocational schools and Community colleges are made to the VECs as part of a block grant which also covers the VEC head-office overheads and other activities apart from the second-level programme.

At the core of all arrangements is a reliance upon capitation as the principle determinant of funding. All schools submit a return of pupil enrolments based on the number attending as at 30th September each year. Schools have considerable discretion as to how this funding is best utilised in the interests of pupils.

In the case of VECs, the Department does not earmark funding allocations for individual schools or for the various activities of VECs. The way in which such allocations are distributed among schools is a matter for each committee in line with their priorities and perceptions of need. As VECs are given a high level of autonomy in the management and appropriation of their budgets, the extent of information requested by the Deputy is not readily available in my Department and would involve an inordinate amount of administrative time to compile.

Major improvements have been made in the funding of our second level schools in recent years and I will continue to prioritise this area. For example, the standard per capita grant for secondary schools has increased from €256 per pupil in 2001 to €298 per pupil from January, 2006. A new support services grant was also introduced in 2000. This amounted to some €25 per pupil when it was introduced, but has increased to the point that it now amounts to €159 per pupil in 2006. Budget allocations for the C&C and VEC sectors also benefited on a pro rata basis with increases in the standard per capita grants.

In 2001, 2003 and 2004, the 2nd per capita grant instalment that would normally be paid in the following January was brought forward and paid to schools in December of those years. While payment dates may differ, my Department's provision for non-pay funding to schools has increased every school year since 2000/01.