George Lee (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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Question 468: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if he will recognise the need to support the minority Protestant community, and that the Protestant community have no choice but to send their children to fee paying schools due to the lack of non fee paying Protestant schools; if he will reverse the decision in Budget 2009 which changed the pupil teacher ratio in Protestant schools; if he will maintain the funding arrangements for fee paying Protestant schools; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40314/09]

Batt O'Keeffe (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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I wish to reassure the Deputy that 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 have emphasised that the Government decided to continue to provide the Block Grant, which was increased this year. It is targeted as a support to individual pupils to enable them to attend Protestant schools. I have made clear that I am prepared to work with the Protestant fee-charging schools to identify particular problems and issues that may be arising in some of their schools, or in respect of some students in their schools, and to examine how these might be addressed in a manner consistent with the Constitution. In this regard I have met with Protestant educational representatives. I have explained that a simple reversal of the measures taken in Budget 2008 applicable to all Protestant fee-charging schools and determined solely on a denominational criterion was not legally possible. I believe that engagement between my officials and representatives of the Protestant schools is the best way to seek to resolve the issues that are of concern.