Noel Coonan (Tipperary North, Fine Gael)
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Question 518: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the number of schools in the Tipperary North constituency which will lose a teacher from 1 September 2009; if his attention has been drawn to the impact that this will have on the class sizes and on the education of the pupils; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26151/09]

Michael D Higgins (Galway West, Labour)
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Question 520: To ask the Minister for Education and Science his views on the situation at a school (details supplied) in County Galway in which, due to child shortages, there is to be one mainstream teacher fewer in the 2009-10 school year; his further views on whether this will have a severe and deleterious impact on the pupils at the school; if same will be reversed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26208/09]

Batt O'Keeffe (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 518 and 520 together.

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.

I am committed to providing information in relation to the allocation of teachers to schools as a new feature on my Department's website. The process has begun with the provision earlier this year of initial information on the allocation of mainstream classroom teachers to primary schools under the revised schedule for 2009/10.

In terms of the position at individual primary school level the key factor for determining the level of resources provided by my Department is the pupil enrolment at 30 September 2008. The annual process of seeking this enrolment data from schools took place in the autumn and the data have since been received and processed in my Department enabling the commencement of the processes by which teaching resources are allocated to schools for the school year that begins next September.

My Department has written to the primary schools that are projected to have a net loss or gain in classroom teaching posts in September, 2009. As part of my efforts to ensure that relevant information is openly available to the public detailed information on the opening position for primary schools is published on my Department's website. This provisional list sets out the details on individual schools that, taken collectively, are projected to gain 128 posts and to lose 382 posts — a net reduction of 254 posts. It is my intention to have this information updated and ultimately to set out the final position when the allocation processes are completed.

The final position for any one school will depend on a number of other factors such as additional posts for schools that are developing rapidly and posts allocated as a result of the appeals processes. The operation of redeployment arrangements also impacts on the final position as a teacher can remain in his or her existing school where a suitable redeployment position does not exist. The final staffing position for all schools will therefore not be known until the autumn. At that stage the allocation process will be fully completed for mainstream classroom teachers and appeals to the Staffing Appeals Board will have been considered.