Olivia Mitchell (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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Question 134: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if his attention has been drawn to the concerns among Protestant faith schools of the impact on their future sustainability of any increase in pupil-teacher ratios in view of the removal in 2009 of the funding which traditionally safeguarded their viability and the impact this had on pupil-teacher ratios in these Protestant faith based schools; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35205/11]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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I, along with my colleagues in Government, recognise the importance of ensuring that students from a Protestant background can attend a school that reflects their denominational ethos. 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 Government will endeavour to protect frontline education services as best as possible. However, this must be done within the context of bringing our overall public expenditure into line with what we can afford as a country. All areas of Government will have to manage on a reduced level of resources. The challenge will be to ensure that the resources that can be provided are used to maximum effect to achieve the best possible outcome for pupils.