Written answers
Wednesday, 8 June 2011
Department of Education and Skills
Departmental Funding
9:00 pm
Niall Collins (Limerick, Fianna Fail)
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Question 47: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the date on which he intends to begin a review of State funding for capital projects in fee-paying schools and the steps he has taken regarding same. [14512/11]
Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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Funding for school building projects, whether for fee-charging schools or schools in the free education scheme, are selected on the basis of priority of need using published criteria. However, as the Deputy may be aware, considerations of State support for minority religions has been an important factor in the provision of funding for such schools, given that much of the fee-charging sector has traditionally been made up of Protestant schools and those with a minority religious ethos. Such considerations however have to take into account the constitutionality of making resources available to fee-charging schools of one ethos and not to those of another. Officials of my Department have been in discussions with senior representatives of the Protestant churches and schools concerning the funding arrangements, including funding for capital projects, for their schools. Such discussions are continuing.
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