Brendan Griffin (Kerry South, Fine Gael)
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Question 72: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the position regarding the pupil-teacher ratio in respect of a school (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37955/11]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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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 front-line 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.