Catherine Byrne (Dublin South Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 88: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the savings that have been made further to Circular 0017/2011 regarding resource hours for Traveller education in secondary schools; how this has affected schools in the Dublin South Central constituency; his views on the Stokes report on Traveller education; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14662/11]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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I wish to advise the Deputy that the decision to withdraw Resource Teacher for Travellers was taken by the previous Government as part of the last budget. The requirement to make expenditure savings and to ensure that staffing numbers remain within the Public Service Employment Control Framework prevent me from re-visiting this decision.

Resource Teacher for Traveller posts/Teaching Hours for Traveller pupils will be withdrawn, effective from 31 August 2011. Traveller pupils who are eligible for learning support teaching should receive this tuition through the existing learning support provision in schools. All schools should select students for learning support on the basis of priority of need.

Limited alleviation or adjustment measures are being provided to assist schools that have high concentrations of Traveller pupils who were previously supported by Resource Teachers for Travellers. The expected budgetary target reduction in the number of Resource Teacher for Traveller Posts/Teaching Hours for Travellers, based on estimated provision for 2011, was 723 Whole Time Equivalent (WTE) posts. As at the end of January 2011, in respect of the 2010/2011 school year, the actual number of Resource Teachers for Travellers employed amounted to a total of 709.54 WTE posts nationwide. The number of Whole Time Equivalent post savings in respect of the withdrawal of RTT posts will therefore be 709.54 posts. This will be offset by any alleviation or adjustment posts which are allocated. A total of 119 such posts have been allocated to date. The Department does not record details of schools by constituency categorisation.

There have been a number of reports on Traveller Education, including the one referred to by the Deputy. In November 2006 the advisory committee on Traveller education published its Report and Recommendations for a Traveller Education Strategy. The strategy covers, in a very comprehensive manner, aspects of Traveller Education from pre-school right through to further and higher education within a lifelong learning context. The underlying principle recommended for provision of additional resources is that the "principle of individual educational need" rather than "Traveller identity" is the criteria for all children, including Traveller children.