Martin Ferris (Kerry North, Sinn Fein)
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Question 28: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Education and Skills if she will reverse the decision in Budget 2011 to cut school capitation grants by 5%; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47674/10]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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Budget 2011 recognises the critical role of the education and skills sector to Ireland's future prospects. While difficult choices have had to be made to identify savings across my Department's remit, the Government has gone as far as it can to protect front-line education services in 2011.

€22 million in savings will be secured in 2011 though an average 5% reduction in funding grants to schools and Vocational Educational Committees. This reduction to capitation and ancillary grants for schools will reduce capitation rates, in most cases, to those that applied to schools between 2007 and 2008, with the exception of primary capitation, where the new rate will be between the 2008 and the current rate.

The reduced rates to ancillary and support services grants will reflect the reduction in pay that will apply, with effect from January 2011, to personnel who are paid from these grants, and who have not yet had the reduction applied to them, e.g. school cleaners and caretakers.

As agreed in the Renewed Programme for Government, schools will continue to receive an additional per capita payment to enable them to provide funding for books. In 2010, a total of €14.6 million issued, €7.8 million at primary and €6.8 million at post-primary. In addition, post-primary schools will continue to receive funding for Junior Certificate Schools Programme, Transition Year, Leaving Certificate Applied, Leaving Certificate Vocational and Physics and Chemistry. Total funding in 2010 amounted to €4.2 million. Details of the revised rates for each grant category will be issued to schools and VECs shortly.