Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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Question 128: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if his attention has been drawn to the fact that his budgetary proposals will result in pupil teacher ratios going to 20:1 in minority faith post-primary schools and that grants being removed will significantly impact on the ability of such schools to keep fees as low as possible; his views on whether the impact of budget 2009 on these schools violates special arrangements previously agreed to which the Government was committed; and the steps he will take to resolve the difficulties created by him for both pupils and teachers in the schools concerned. [38188/08]

Olivia Mitchell (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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Question 135: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if he will reinstate the support services grant to Protestant fee paying schools in view of the fact that this grant made it possible for disadvantaged children of the Protestant faith to attend a school of their parents' choice and family ethos. [38222/08]

Ciarán Lynch (Cork South Central, Labour)
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Question 493: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if he will reconsider the planned removal of the support services grants to Protestant secondary schools; his views on whether such withdrawal is in effect a change in classification of these schools; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38126/08]

Charles Flanagan (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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Question 522: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if his attention has been drawn to the adverse consequences that will ensue as a result of his decision to dismantle and abandon an arrangement of more than 40 years' standing with the Protestant churches here having regard to the fact that on the introduction of free secondary education Roman Catholic schools were given an option of entering the free scheme or remaining fee paying whereas separate arrangements were made in respect of minority churches with free comprehensive schools in areas with sufficient numbers and fee paying schools with many pupils in receipt of a means tested Government grant allocated by the secondary education committee on the basis that such schools were considered part of the free school sector; if he will reverse the decision by reinstating the accepted arrangement in view of the inequity that will result in treating the Protestant sector differently; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38330/08]

Batt O'Keeffe (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 128, 135, 493 and 522 together.

As the Deputies will be aware, the Government has had to make extremely difficult decisions and choices across all public services and education is no different.

There is an inescapable fact that pay constitutes the bulk of current expenditure on education, and therefore measures impacting on the teaching resources available to schools were necessary.

The specific measures I have had to take in relation to the staffing schedule have to be seen in this light. I had to take a measured and balanced view of what was reasonable in the circumstances.

Regarding difficulties encountered by schools, the position is that each school management authority is required to organise its curriculum, teaching timetable and subject options having regard to pupils' needs within the limits of the approved normal staffing allocation.

A school authority may, however, encounter unanticipated difficulty in meeting essential curricular commitments to pupils within the normal staffing allocation. As part of the normal flexibility in the allocation system, my Department will, on an exceptional basis, consider requests by a school authority for a staffing concession as short-term support.

Such curricular concession applications should clearly demonstrate how the management authority has engaged in effective school planning and inter-school co-operation, where appropriate, to demonstrate how it will deal with the matter in the medium term.

Mechanisms are also in place for schools that wish to appeal their staffing allocations. The criteria for appeals are published by my Department and appeals are considered by an Appeals Board which operates independently of my Department.

It is important to emphasise that the revised pupil teacher ratio affects all fee-paying schools, regardless of denominational ethos. Fee-charging schools can continue to employ additional teachers that they fund from their fee income.

With regard to the removal of certain ancillary grants received by Protestant fee-charging schools, I wish to re-emphasise that the Protestant Block grant remains in place. Protestant fee-charging schools receive, and will continue to receive, this grant, which amounts to €6.25 million in the current school year.

This payment covers capitation, tuition and boarding grants. It is distributed by the Secondary Education Committee among needier Protestant children. Applications are made by parents to the Central Protestant Churches Authority, which, on the basis of a means test, distributes the funds to individual schools on the basis of pupil needs.

The retention of this grant demonstrates the importance that I, and this Government, continue to attach to ensuring that students of the Protestant faith can attend schools that reflect their denominational ethos.

In retaining this grant, the Government is being faithful to the separate arrangements that were agreed with the Protestant schools when the free scheme was introduced by Donagh O'Malley and, at the time, it was the payment of the block grant in particular for Protestant fee-charging schools that distinguished them from Catholic schools that chose to continue to charge fees.

In addition to the block grant, Protestant fee-charging schools were paid a range of support grants that Catholic fee-charging schools did not receive. These grants were not available at the time of the agreement with the Protestant schools.

It is estimated that savings of €2.8 million will accrue to the Department as a result of the withdrawal of these grants from Protestant fee-charging schools in 2009.

The purpose of these grants was not to offset fees for disadvantaged Protestant students. Rather, they covered a range of support services.

I have had to take decisions in range to a relation of grants that have impacted on the funding of schools generally. With the Protestant Block Grant protected, I can see no justification for treating the Protestant fee-charging schools in a special way, particularly given that Catholic fee-charging schools have not been in receipt of the grants in question at all.