Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 243: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the disparity in non-teacher funding of second level voluntary schools and community and comprehensive schools in terms of current and of capital spending; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3263/07]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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All school building projects are selected for inclusion in the School Building and Modernisation Programme on the basis of priority of need. No differentiation is made between voluntary secondary schools and community and comprehensive schools. All applications for capital funding are assessed in accordance with my Department's published prioritisation criteria for large scale building projects which were drawn up following consultation with the education partners. Following this assessment, each application is assigned a band rating. Progress on individual projects is consistent with that band rating.

The current funding arrangements made by my Department for second level schools reflect the sectoral division of our second level system. At the core of all arrangements is a reliance upon capitation as the principle determinant of funding. In my view it is important to consider these issues in the wider context of the equalisation of funding arrangements across the second level system. My Department provides funding to secondary schools by way of per capita grants, which affords schools considerable flexibility in the use of these resources to cater for the needs of their pupils. There have been significant improvements in recent years in the level of funding for voluntary secondary schools. I wish to draw the attention of the Deputy to my announcement of further significant increases in the context of the 2007 estimates. From 1 January 2007 the standard per capita grant has been increased by €18 to €316 per pupil. In addition, the support services grant has also been increased by a further €30 for voluntary secondary schools, which includes a further equalisation measure, to €189 per pupil. For such schools this cumulative increase of €48 per pupil will bring the aggregate grant to over €500 per pupil from 1 January 2007. These grants are in addition to the per capita funding of up to €40,000 per school that is also provided by my Department to secondary schools towards secretarial and caretaking services. For example in the case of a secondary school with 500 pupils, this will bring annual grants towards general expenses and support service to over €290,000.

Budget allocations for schools in the Community & Comprehensive sector are increased on a pro rata basis with increases in the per capita grant. The provision that I have made, in the context of the 2007 estimates, for these significant increases in the funding of voluntary secondary schools is a clear demonstration of my commitment to prioritise available resources to address the needs of schools.