Written answers

Tuesday, 16 December 2008

Department of Education and Science

Departmental Funding

9:00 pm

Photo of Ulick BurkeUlick Burke (Galway East, Fine Gael)
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Question 506: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if he is satisfied with the consequences of the education cuts to a college (details supplied) in County Galway resulting in a loss of €27,500 to their delivery of adult education in the country; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46163/08]

Photo of Seán HaugheySeán Haughey (Dublin North Central, Fianna Fail)
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The allocation of funding for 2009 for adult education has not yet been finalised by my Department. No decisions have been made in relation to funding for any Vocational Education Committee, including County Galway.

Photo of Ulick BurkeUlick Burke (Galway East, Fine Gael)
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Question 508: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if he will re-examine the situation at a college (details supplied) in County Galway following the cutbacks announced in budget 2009 as 16.68 teachers will be lost to the scheme which will have serious consequences resulting in the loss of 550 classes per week or 18,370 per year; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46165/08]

Photo of Batt O'KeeffeBatt O'Keeffe (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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I have consistently said that 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 and in view of the ominous financial circumstances that we are facing I am not in a position to reverse any of the decisions taken.

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. The increase in my Department's budget for 2009 of over €300 million — bringing the total to over €9.6 billion — is a real achievement in the current climate and the challenge will be to ensure that this investment is used to maximum effect.

I have made it clear in briefing material published on the 2009 Estimates for the Department of Education and Science that overall, the number of post-primary teachers in schools in September 2009 is projected to be about 200 fewer compared to September, 2008.

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. 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.

I have already put it on record that I have no difficulty in setting out for this House or for the public generally what the final impact will be on the overall changes on aggregate teacher numbers in schools for the 2009/10 school year. I am not claiming in any way that there will be no impact on the staffing position in schools generally but this will vary from school to school and there will be schools where the number of teachers will remain the same.

For the moment the priority for my Department is to move ahead with the allocation processes and begin the interaction with individual schools early in the new year.

Photo of Ulick BurkeUlick Burke (Galway East, Fine Gael)
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Question 509: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if he will re-examine the effects of the education cuts in budget 2009 on a college (details supplied) in County Galway which will result in a loss of €55,000 in book grants to the scheme which will demolish the scheme and cause great hardship to parents and deprive many students of available text books; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46166/08]

Photo of Batt O'KeeffeBatt O'Keeffe (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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Notwithstanding the increase of €302 million in the Education budget for 2009, which is a real achievement in the current economic climate, a number of tough and difficult decisions had to be taken. These decisions included reductions on the aid for school books scheme. From 2009 this grant will be available only to schools within the DEIS scheme. Three schools under the management of County Galway VEC are designated included in the DEIS scheme and will continue to receive funding for school books.

DEIS (Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools) is the action plan for educational inclusion and focuses on addressing the educational needs of children and young people from disadvantaged communities. Approximately €7 million was made available in 2008 to DEIS schools for the school book grant scheme and this fund of €7 million will be made available for distribution to schools in the DEIS programme in 2009. The continuation of the school book grant to these schools is testament to the Government's determination to prioritise social inclusion and protect the most vulnerable in our society.

The Department continues to urge schools to implement book rental schemes as a measure to minimise the cost of school books to all parents. This was the recommendation of a consultancy report, submitted to my department in 1993, which dealt with the factors which contribute to the cost of school text books. The report, copies of which were sent to all schools, contains a number of useful suggestions, including a Code of Good Practice for successful operation of book rental schemes. My Department fully endorses the report's recommendations.

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