Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 87: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he will give a commitment to protect class sizes in this years budget following recent figures from his Department which indicate a greater than expected increase in student numbers between now and 2017. [19412/11]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context

At this point I do not propose to give any specific commitment on the allocation of teachers to schools for the 2012/13 school year. The number of teaching posts that we can afford to fund in schools is a matter that I will have to consider with my colleagues in Cabinet in the context of the next budget and meeting our obligations under the EU/IMF Programme.

The National Recovery Plan 2011-2014 makes provision for a net increase of just over 2,000 posts across the education sector between the end of 2010 and the end of 2014. Clearly the latest information from the census will have to be factored into those deliberations.

As the Deputy will be aware the National Recovery Plan provided for consultation with the education partners in relation to how best to achieve a further reduction in teacher payroll costs from 2012. It envisaged the introduction of appropriate increases in the classroom teacher allocation schedules if the consultation process did not produce alternative feasible measures to deliver the required savings.

My Department has commenced this consultation process. The education partners at primary and post-primary level have been given the opportunity to contribute this month to the process of identifying a range of measures that the Government can consider in order to achieve a further reduction in teacher payroll costs from the school year 2012/13.