Brian O'Shea (Waterford, Labour)
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Question 9: To ask the Minister for Education and Science his views on the revelation, at a meeting of the Joint Committee on Education and Science on 23 April 2009, that fee paying schools would charge fees of approximately €20,000 to €30,000 if the €100 million provided by the State for teachers' salaries was removed; his views on whether most fee paying schools would collapse if this payment was removed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19250/09]

Batt O'Keeffe (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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I understand that the statement to which the Deputy refers was made at the Joint Committee by Sr. Eileen Randles from the Loreto Education Trust. As the record of that discussion shows Sr. Eileen was seeking to address what she termed "a simplistic sound bite" in the media about why taxpayers should pay for the salaries of teachers in fee charging second level schools. Sr. Eileen went on to express the view that if fee charging second level schools through the withdrawal of public funding were to become like public schools in England, most of the schools she knew would not continue because the trustees could not run schools to which parents would have to pay €20,000 to €30,000 per annum.

First let me say that the position is a hypothetical one as there are no proposals to remove totally the exchequer funding of teacher salaries from fee charging second level schools. As Sr. Eileen identified there is a risk that this issue is treated in a simplistic or sensational manner. Indeed I want to compliment Sr. Eileen, committee members from both Houses and those who made the presentation and answered question for members. The discussion by the Joint Committee was valuable in exploring the historic evolution and context for the arrangements that apply in respect of the fee charging schools and why the current or future position of these schools cannot be considered in a simplistic manner.

The fee charging schools are all recognised voluntary secondary schools and as noted during the discussion at the Joint Committee many of them are among the oldest second level schools in the country. What distinguishes them from all other voluntary secondary schools is the choice made by those schools in relation to what is termed the "free scheme" initiated by Donogh O 'Malley, to provide for universal free second level education.

At the time they chose to retain the capacity to charge fees while the schools that entered the scheme surrendered that capacity in return for enhanced funding. It is also important to note that at the time of the introduction of the free scheme the State was in large part funding the salaries of teachers in secondary schools and that prior to the introduction of the free scheme schools were not charging an economic fee by virtue of the exchequer funding they received.

As I have already stated it is intended to continue to fund teacher salaries for all voluntary secondary schools including those that chose to retain a capacity to charge fees.