Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 528: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if, in terms of budget 2009 cutbacks on pupil numbers in schools this change will not be made retrospectively in respect of the pupil-teacher ratio in a school (details supplied) in County Mayo. [42144/08]

Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 529: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if, in terms of budget 2009 cutbacks on pupil numbers in schools this change will not be made retrospectively in respect of the pupil-teacher ratio. [42145/08]

Batt O'Keeffe (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 528 and 529 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. The various impacts at school level were included in the Budget day announcements. Even with the Budget measures in place there will still be a significantly increased borrowing requirement in 2009.

The mainstream staffing of a primary school is determined by reference to the enrolment of the school on 30th September of the previous school year. The actual number of mainstream posts sanctioned is determined by reference to a staffing schedule which is issued to all primary schools each year. My Department will be advising individual schools in the normal way in relation to their staffing allocations. The preparatory work for this has commenced with the processing of enrolment data that has been received from schools. The staffing allocation processes including notification to schools will commence early in the New Year.

The allocation process includes appellate mechanisms under which schools can appeal against the allocation due to them under the staffing schedules. In addition to the mainstream classroom teachers my Department also allocates teaching resources to schools for special needs and language support. 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 an existing school if a new post is not available within the agreed terms of the scheme.