Written answers

Wednesday, 5 November 2008

Department of Education and Science

Education Committees

10:00 pm

Photo of Jack WallJack Wall (Kildare South, Labour)
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Question 359: To ask the Minister for Education and Science his plans to address the concerns as expressed in a submission (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38588/08]

Photo of Emmet StaggEmmet Stagg (Kildare North, Labour)
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Question 386: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if he will reconsider his decision to remove the support services grants from schools such as a school (details supplied) in County Westmeath in view of the previous agreement reached in relation to those grants more than 40 years ago and in view of the implications of their removal. [38946/08]

Photo of Emmet StaggEmmet Stagg (Kildare North, Labour)
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Question 387: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if his attention has been drawn to the consequences of the removal of grants allocated by the secondary education committees (details supplied); if he will reconsider this decision in view of the special arrangements entered into with Protestant churches more than 40 years ago; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38947/08]

Photo of Batt O'KeeffeBatt O'Keeffe (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 359, 386 and 387 together.

The 2009 budget required difficult choices to be made across all areas of public expenditure. Decisions were made in order to control expenditure and ensure sustainability in the long term. In this respect, education, while protected to a much greater extent than most other areas of public expenditure, could not be entirely spared. I acknowledge the impact of funding restrictions in a number of areas, including at school level. However, these are the inevitable result of the challenging international economic environment and the need to manage Exchequer resources.

With regard to the removal of certain support services 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 those Catholic schools that chose to continue to charge fees.

It is estimated that savings of €2.8 million will accrue to my Department as a result of the withdrawal of support services grants from Protestant fee-charging schools in 2009. It is important to note that 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 on a number 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.

With regard to the change in the pupil teacher ratio, it is important to emphasise that this applies to all fee-paying schools, regardless of denominational ethos. 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. 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 cooperation, where appropriate, to demonstrate how it will deal with the matter in the medium term.

Mechanisms are 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. The positions of individual schools, including those referred to by the Deputies, will not be known until the staffing and budgetary allocations are finalised in the New Year.

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