Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 558: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the extent to which he has examined or quantified the expected negative impact of his recently announced education budgetary cuts on the pupil-teacher ratio or class size in each of the primary and post-primary schools by name in Maynooth, County Kildare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38536/08]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 559: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the extent to which he has examined or quantified the expected negative impact of his recently announced education budgetary cuts on the pupil-teacher ratio or class size in each of the primary and post-primary schools by name in Celbridge, County Kildare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38537/08]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 560: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the extent to which he has examined or quantified the expected negative impact of his recently announced education budgetary cuts on the pupil-teacher ratio or class size in each of the primary and post-primary schools by name in Kilkock, County Kildare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38538/08]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 561: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the extent to which he has examined or quantified the expected negative impact of his recently announced education budgetary cuts on the pupil-teacher ratio or class size in each of the primary and post-primary schools by name in Clane, County Kildare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38539/08]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 562: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the extent to which he has examined or quantified the expected negative impact of his recently announced education budgetary cuts on the pupil-teacher ratio or class size in each of the primary and post-primary schools by name in Leixlip, County Kildare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38540/08]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 563: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the extent to which he has examined or quantified the expected negative impact of his recently announced education budgetary cuts on the pupil-teacher ratio or class size in each of the primary and post-primary schools by name in Naas, County Kildare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38541/08]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 564: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the extent to which he has examined or quantified the expected negative impact of his recently announced education budgetary cuts on the pupil-teacher ratio or class size in each of the primary and post-primary schools by name in Prosperous, County Kildare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38542/08]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 565: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the extent to which he has examined or quantified the expected negative impact of his recently announced education budgetary cuts on the pupil-teacher ratio or class size in each of the primary and post-primary schools by name in Newbridge, County Kildare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38543/08]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 566: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the extent to which he has examined or quantified the expected negative impact of his recently announced education budgetary cuts on the pupil-teacher ratio or class size in each of the primary and post-primary schools by name in Kildare, County Kildare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38544/08]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 567: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the extent to which he has examined or quantified the expected negative impact of his recently announced education budgetary cuts on the pupil-teacher ratio or class size in each of the primary and post-primary schools by name in Monasterevin, County Kildare. [38545/08]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 568: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the extent to which he has examined or quantified the expected negative impact of his recently announced education budgetary cuts on the pupil-teacher ratio or class size in each of the primary and post-primary schools by name in Athy, County Kildare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38546/08]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 569: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the extent to which he has examined or quantified the expected negative impact of his recently announced education budgetary cuts on the pupil-teacher ratio or class size in each of the primary and post-primary schools by name in Kilcullen, County Kildare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38547/08]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 570: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the extent to which he has examined or quantified the expected negative impact of his recently announced education budgetary cuts on the pupil-teacher ratio or class size in each of the primary and post-primary schools by name in Rathangan, County Kildare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38548/08]

Batt O'Keeffe (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 558 to 570, inclusive, together.

The 2009 Budget required difficult choices to be made across all areas of public expenditure. These decisions were made to control public expenditure and to ensure sustainability in the long run. In this respect Education while protected to a much greater extent than most other areas of public expenditure could not be totally spared.

Prudent management of the Government finances is particularly important at this time of global economic uncertainty when tax revenue has fallen so significantly and when world economic conditions are so serious. Even with the Budget measures in place there will still be a significantly increased borrowing requirement in 2009.

The Government's commitment to education is clear both from its track record over the past decade in providing substantial additional resources, most notably extra teachers to meet previously unmet needs and from the programme the Government set for itself when it came into office. A lot has changed in the past year and the first and foremost imperative is that we stabilise the public finances. It is only by doing so that we can shelter gains made and put ourselves in the position of being able to make improvements in the future.

The specific information requested by the Deputy in relation to the detailed staffing allocation of schools for the academic year 2009/10 cannot be determined until the allocation process has fully concluded. There is nothing exceptional in this. The allocation processes include appellate mechanisms under which schools can appeal against the allocation due to them under the staffing schedules.

This is particularly relevant at post-primary level where the appellate process considers in particular any specific curricular needs of the school concerned. At primary level the final allocation to a school is also a function of the operation of the redeployment panels which provide for the retention of a teacher in the existing school if a new post is not available within the agreed terms of the scheme.

At post-primary there is no effective system wide redeployment scheme at present and this can mean that schools retain teachers, though over quota, and in addition discrete allocations are made to post-primary schools for example to cater for pupils with Special Educational Needs and those with Language difficulties and these allocations can also alter the ultimate position of the school in relation to any over quota position.

I want to clarify again that my Department's budget for next year has been prepared on the same fundamental basis as any other year by estimating the number of teachers that will be employed under the different categories (e.g mainstream, special needs and language support) and allowing for any change in overall demographics.

Schools are currently returning data to my Department in relation to their enrolment as of 30 September. My Department has commenced processing this data although all schools have not yet made their returns. The allocation processes including notification to schools will commence early in the New Year.