Deirdre Clune (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 251: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if his attention has been drawn to the fact that his proposal to cut the grant he allocates to Protestant faith schools will have a detrimental effect on the future of these schools; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38991/08]

Deirdre Clune (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 252: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if he will consult with patrons and boards of management of Protestant faith schools with a view to assessing the effect the changes he announced to their grant allocation will have on the delivery of their education programmes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38992/08]

Batt O'Keeffe (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 251 and 252 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.