Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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Question 153: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the way he will ensure that all second level students have access to career guidance and counselling services following the announcement in budget 2012 of the withdrawal of ex-quota career guidance counsellors to schools, and given that section 9 of the Education Act requires that second level students receive appropriate guidance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39935/11]

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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Question 155: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if the level of guidance counselling in schools will now be entirely a matter for school management; if schools will be required to have a certain level of guidance counselling following decisions taken in budget 2012 on guidance provision; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39937/11]

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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Question 156: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills his views that guidance will now be just an add-on to a teacher's subject teaching and that separate guidance posts will no longer be advertised; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39938/11]

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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Question 158: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the effect of the decision to withdraw ex-quota career guidance counsellors to schools on the pupil-teacher ratio as post primary level. [39940/11]

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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Question 159: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he has taken into account the impact on subject choice at post-primary level following his decision to withdraw ex-quota career guidance counsellors from post-primary schools in budget 2012. [39941/11]

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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Question 160: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he will confirm that no other member of school management or teaching staff apart form those that are fully qualified guidance counsellors will be allowed to provide guidance to students following decisions taken in budget 2012; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39942/11]

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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Question 161: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills his views that only qualified guidance counsellors should provide counselling services to students and that this should remain the case following the decision taken in budget 2012; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39943/11]

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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Question 162: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he has any concerns that the profession of career guidance counsellors will no longer exist following decisions taken in budget 2012; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39944/11]

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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Question 167: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of second-level schools that have career guidance counsellors ex-quota at present; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40004/11]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 153, 155, 156, 158 to 162, inclusive, and 167 together.

While difficult choices had to be made to identify savings across my Department's budget, the Government has tried to protect front line services in 2012. The Government has protected the pupil-teacher ratio at primary level, prioritised targeted support for the most disadvantaged schools and maintained the overall number of resource teachers and SNAs to support children with special needs.

Until now, a specific resource was provided to all second-level schools for guidance in addition to the standard teacher allocation. This broadly equates to an additional allocation of about 1 teacher for every 500 pupils. In future, schools must meet their guidance requirements from within the overall resource provided by the normal staffing schedule. Individually schools can continue to make provision for guidance and counselling. Decisions on how this will be done will be taken at school level in the best interests of students and to ensure the best use of resources available. I am confident school management and teachers will continue to work together to meet the needs of the students in their care.

In this way, the main teacher allocation can be maintained at 19:1 for schools generally, while schools will have discretion to balance what they allocate for guidance against the competing demands of providing subject choice. The change that has been announced gives schools greater autonomy in how they allocate staff resources to best meet the needs of their students.

I have also provided for the filling of 300 Assistant Principal posts in second-level schools over the level originally planned. This will ensure that schools have sufficient management positions to ensure appropriate supports are available for all students. This is an important change which will reduce the impact of the moratorium on the filling of posts of responsibility in second level schools.

A key priority for me is to continue to prioritise and target available funding at schools with the most concentrated levels of educational disadvantage. All 195 second-level school in DEIS will be given targeted support by a more favourable staffing schedule of 18.25:1. This is a 0.75 point reduction compared to the existing PTR of 19:1 that applies in non fee-paying second-level schools.

The change to guidance allocations must be seen in the context of the major challenges we have as a Government in trying to shelter public services to the greatest extent that we can in these exceptional times. My Department will be notifying schools of the impact of the budget changes in January, 2012.