Jack Wall (Kildare South, Labour)
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Question 315: To ask the Minister for Education and Science his views on a submission (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24541/08]

Batt O'Keeffe (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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All applications for capital funding are prioritised and advanced incrementally by my Department. The priority attaching to individual projects is determined by published prioritisation criteria, which were formulated following consultation with the Education Partners. There are four band ratings under these criteria, each of which describes the extent of accommodation required and the urgency attaching to it. Band 1 is the highest priority rating and Band 4 is the lowest. The progression of all large scale building projects from initial design stage through to construction phase will be considered on an on-going basis in the context of my Department's multi-annual School Building and Modernisation Programme. However, in light of current competing demands on the capital budget of the Department and with the level of activity in the School Building Programme, it is not possible to give an indicative timeframe for the further progression of particular projects at this time.

The Deputy will appreciate that the Department must, in the first instance, manage its resources to ensure that the projects which are in the programme are delivered. I am currently reviewing with my officials the Department's spending plans for this year; I am in the middle of this process and it will not be complete for some time. I will not be making decisions on any further capital expenditure until that process is completed. When this is done relevant school managements will be informed of the position without delay.

In relation to the supply of qualified teachers, my Department continually monitors the situation in relation to retirements, demographics and the many other factors affecting the supply and demand of teachers, in the light of system needs, available resources and Government commitments. I am satisfied that my Department will take all possible steps to enable the future demand and need for teachers to be met. For the intake to the 2008 post graduate diploma in education (for primary teaching) my Department approved an additional 210 places, bringing the total number of entrants to 490. Approximately 1,000 students begin the B.Ed in Primary Teaching in the Colleges of Education annually and in addition, Hibernia College, a privately owned and funded institution admits approximately 500 post-graduate students to their primary teacher education programme each year. Therefore in 2008, almost 2,000 student teachers will begin their vocational training.

Mainstream staffing in primary schools is determined by reference to school enrolments on 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 to all primary schools each year. This is a transparent and clear way of ensuring that all schools are treated consistently and fairly and know where they stand. The schedule allocates teachers within enrolment bands and the current bands are based on an average of 27 pupils.

Under a system that allocates additional teachers at different step points under a common schedule it is a fact of life that changes in enrolment can effect the mainstream staffing of a school. In any year, and not just this year, when enrolments are falling in a school this can result in the loss of a teacher. Equally when enrolments increase a school can gain a teacher under the operation of the staffing schedule. While some 120 schools will lose a teacher in the next school year compared to this year there will still be a net increase of some 500 teachers due to an increase in enrolments.

The Programme for Government sets out the overarching policy position in relation to the provision of additional teachers and on reductions in class size over the life of the Government. While the Programme indicated a specific timeline in relation to further changes to the staffing schedule in order to reduce class sizes it simply was not possible to move any further in the current year. Even since the presentation of Budget 2008 last December there have been significant alterations in the external and domestic environment. In that context any reasonable observer would regard the fact that the Government has already taken measures that will see the allocation of over 2000 additional teachers to primary schools since last summer as a considerable investment all things considered.

In relation to the school referred to by the Deputy, data submitted to my Department by the school Board of Management, indicates that the enrolment in the school on 30th September 2006 was 566 pupils. In accordance with the staffing schedule (Circular 0020/2007) a hard copy of which has been issued to all primary schools and which is also available on my Department's website at www.education.ie, the mainstream staffing in the school for the 2007/08 school year is a Principal and 21 mainstream class teachers. The school enrolment on 30th September 2007 was reported as 558 pupils and in accordance with the staffing schedule, the mainstream staffing in the school for the 2008/09 school year will remain at a Principal and 21 mainstream class teachers.

Within the terms of the staffing arrangements for primary schools there is provision for additional posts, referred to as developing school posts, to be assigned to schools on the basis of projected enrolments for the next school year. Under these arrangements, a developing school post may be sanctioned provisionally where the projected enrolment at 30th September of the school year in question equals or exceeds a specified figure. If the specified figure is not achieved on 30th September, sanction for the post is withdrawn.

It is open to the Board of Management to submit an appeal under certain criteria to an independent Appeal Board which was established to adjudicate on appeals on mainstream staffing allocations in primary schools. Details of the criteria and application dates for appeal are contained in the staffing schedule. Appeals must be submitted to Primary Payments Section, Department of Education and Science, Athlone, on the standard application form, clearly stating the criterion under which the appeal is being made. The standard application form is available from the Primary Payments Section or on my Department's website. The Appeal Board operates independently of the Department and its decision is final.