Brian Hayes (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)
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Question 703: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the number of start-up schools during the years 2000 to date in 2008 provided with front-loaded full ancillary grants in addition to the start-up grant provided by his Department at the start of the school year; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28951/08]

Batt O'Keeffe (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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There were seven new schools that looked for an advance of the capitation and ancillary services grants in 2007. All seven received half the capitation grant and their full ancillary services grant at that time.

All new schools receive an ancillary services grant in October each year to cover the cost of employing a secretary and/or caretaker for the months from September to December, as the grant payable in March is designed to cover these costs in the calendar year.

My Department is currently looking at the funding of new schools having regard to budgetary constraints. There are new arrangements in place involving funding to the recognised management body for the opening of new schools under a particular patronage as distinct from additional funding to individual school boards of management. This additional funding is available to the management bodies recognised by my Department and is related to the number of new schools established under the patronage which the particular management body serves. The funding is deliberately scaled upwards to reflect the greater level of activity and support a management body has to give when it is involved with several new schools in any year and where those schools are of significant size.