Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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Question 221: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the number of students currently attending fee-paying secondary schools; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25518/07]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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Question 223: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the estimate of the amount of money saved to the State in capitation fees and other school supports with respect to pupils who attend fee-paying second level schools; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25520/07]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 221 and 223 together.

There are currently 56 fee-charging second level schools in the country, of which 21 are Protestant, 2 Inter-denominational, one Jewish and the remainder Catholic.

The number of students enrolled in fee-charging schools in the 2006/07 school year was 26,463. Enrolment figure for the 2007/2008 school year are not yet available to my Department.

Fee-charging schools, with the exception of the Protestant and Jewish fee-charging schools for which special arrangements apply, do not receive capitation or related supports.

In the case of the Protestant schools a payment is made to the Central Protestant Churches authority — the Secondary Education Committee — of a grant (the Protestant Block Grant) for distribution among needier Protestant students to enable them to meet the cost of attending Protestant schools. The grant is calculated by reference to the number of pupils in Protestant schools, on a broadly similar basis to the per capita grant payable to schools in the Free Education Scheme. Parents make applications for assistance to the Committee which on the basis of a means test distributes the funds by individual schools on the basis of pupil needs.

In addition, Protestant fee-charging schools are eligible for payment of such grants as the transition year support grant, the secretarial grant and caretaking grant.

My Department estimates that if capitation and related supports had been paid to the fee-charging schools, with the exception of the Protestant and Jewish fee-charging schools, the cost would have been in the region of €9 million for the 2006/07 school year.