Peter Mathews (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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Question 160: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills his views on the cuts that have been made regarding fee-paying religious schools; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28700/11]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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I assume the Deputy is referring to the decision of the previous Fianna Fail - Green Party Government to increase the pupil/teacher ratio in schools and to remove certain funding from Protestant fee-charging schools in the Budget of October 2008. There are currently 55 fee-charging second level schools in the country, of which 20 are Protestant, two Inter-denominational, one Jewish and the remaining 32 Catholic. It is estimated that the withdrawal, with effect from 1 January 2009, of the ancillary grant to fee-charging schools with a Protestant ethos has realised an annual saving of €2.8m to the Exchequer. The grant was withdrawn due to concerns about the constitutionality of making it available to fee-charging schools of one ethos and not to those of another.

Fee-charging schools do not receive capitation or related supports and since becoming Minister, I have prioritised the limited funding available for Summer Works Schemes to non fee-paying schools on the grounds of equity. The previous Government also decided in October 2008 to make changes to how fee-charging schools should be treated in relation to the number of publicly funded teaching posts they are allocated. Teachers in fee-charging schools are now allocated at a pupil teacher ratio of 20 to 1, which is a point higher than allocations in non fee-charging post-primary schools.

Teachers in all fee-charging schools are paid by the State; this arrangement predated the introduction of free education arrangements and has existed since the foundation of the state. The estimated cost of these posts in 2011 is in the order of €100m and the estimated saving for a one point increase in the pupil/teacher ratio is €3 million. I am already on record as saying that this is not a simple matter as these arrangements, which are historic and of long standing, impact upon a substantial number of schools which cater for religious minorities.