George Lee (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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Question 579: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the fee paying Protestant denominated schools that receive funding from the Exchequer; the number of students who are enrolled in each of these schools; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36751/09]

Batt O'Keeffe (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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Information regarding enrolments in Protestant schools whose pupils may qualify for assistance from the Secondary Education Committee by way of the Protestant block grant is shown in the attached table. There are 26 schools with a Protestant ethos in the State, 21 of which charge fees. No fee-charging school, regardless of denomination, receives direct funding from my Department to cover its running costs. However, teachers in all fee-charging schools are paid by the State, an arrangement which pre-dated the introduction of free education arrangements. Teachers are allocated to fee-charging schools at a pupil teacher ratio of 20:1; which is a point higher than in schools in the free education scheme. Fee-charging schools may continue to employ additional teachers that they fund from their fee income. The cost of teachers' salaries in Protestant and Jewish schools amounted to €39.4 million in the 2007/08 school year. Protestant and Jewish schools also received €1.5 million in capital funding in 2008.

My Department disburses the Protestant block grant, which has amounted to €6.5 million in 2009. It covers capitation, tuition and boarding costs and is distributed through the Secondary Education Committee established by the churches concerned. This fund ensures that necessitous Protestant children can attend a school of their choice. The boarding grant element of the block grant is a recognition of the dispersed nature of the Protestant community. In this regard, I wish to advise the Deputy that students who board at a Protestant school which does not charge fees may also apply for a grant from the Secondary Education Committee to assist with boarding costs. At present, only one school falls into this category.

I, along with my colleagues in Government, recognise the importance of ensuring that students from a Protestant background can attend a school that reflects their denominational ethos. I will continue to work with representatives of the Protestant educational sector to ensure that State funding made available to the Protestant community is targeted in the fairest way possible to meet the needs of their children and their schools.