Ray Butler (Meath West, Fine Gael)
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Question 152: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if the changes announced by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform on 5 December 2011 regarding payment of qualification allowances will have effect on teachers who are currently studying but have not yet graduated; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40971/11]

Maureen O'Sullivan (Dublin Central, Independent)
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Question 165: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills his reasons for establishing the maximum amount payable to new entrants in qualification allowances not to exceed the amount payable for an honours degree €4,426, when those with higher qualifications are not being financially recognised such as new entrants with a Masters Degree; the reason those with lower qualifications are financially recognised and those with higher qualifications are not; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41094/11]

Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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Question 182: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the position regarding the decision to remove the masters degree allowance for teachers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41252/11]

Denis Naughten (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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Question 185: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he will review the decision to cut the masters allowance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41266/11]

Tom Fleming (Kerry South, Independent)
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Question 231: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he will retain the teachers qualification allowance for persons who have already committed to the time and expense of undertaking a master's degree and who have done so on the understanding that the traditional automatic allowance accorded to all previous masters' graduates would be payable to them; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1003/12]

Pat Breen (Clare, Fine Gael)
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Question 246: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if a person (details supplied) qualifies for a masters qualification allowance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1227/12]

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)
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Question 255: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he will ensure that his Department gives recognition to an additional academic qualification secured by a person (details supplied) in County Kildare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1409/12]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 152, 165, 182, 185, 231, 246 and 255 together.

The Government announced as part of Budget 2012 that, pending completion of the public service-wide review of allowances, changes to teacher qualification allowances were being made with immediate effect. These changes affect both existing teachers and new appointees in the future.

Circular 70/2011, which clarified the position on qualification allowances for teachers, schools and the public, was published on my Department's website on Friday, 16 December 2011. This Circular outlines the position in relation to existing teachers and those entering the profession on or after 5 December 2011.

Individual teachers who have been engaged in a public sector teaching post on or before 4 December 2011 are eligible to retain the allowances they were in receipt of on that date. Existing teachers will not be paid any additional allowance where they acquire any further qualification on or after 5 December 2011.

The position of existing teachers who, on 5 December 2011, were undertaking courses will be considered in the context of the public service-wide review of allowances announced in Budget 2012 which is to be led by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform.

Teachers who enter public sector teaching on or after 5 December 2011 are eligible to receive combined qualification allowances up to a maximum value equivalent to that of the honours primary degree allowance. Where a teacher on first appointment is eligible for payment of an allowance below that equivalent to honours primary degree level he or she will, in common with existing teachers, not be paid any additional allowance should he or she acquire a further qualification.

This basis for this decision was the upward pressure on the cost of teacher allowances. Without any changes, the cost of qualification allowances are expected to result in an additional €150 million increase in the cost of teacher salaries by 2020.

To put this in context, the other reductions in education expenditure announced in Budget 2012 amount to €76 million. Without immediate action, this upward pressure would have cancelled out the savings made elsewhere in the education system and would bring about even harsher adjustments to schools and services.

Gerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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Question 153: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he will outline in detail which schools in County Louth will be affected by the education cuts introduced in Budget 2012; if these cuts are as a result of the cuts to legacy programmes in place prior to the roll out of the DÉIS initiative in 2005 which are due to be phased out or other cuts; the number of teaching posts in each school in County Louth in the years 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40973/11]

Finian McGrath (Dublin North Central, Independent)
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Question 166: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the position regarding a teaching post in respect of a school (details supplied) in Dublin 17. [41117/11]

Finian McGrath (Dublin North Central, Independent)
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Question 167: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the position regarding staff cuts at a school (details supplied) in Dublin 7. [41118/11]

Gerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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Question 183: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he has carried out an impact assessment of the budget cuts he has introduced which affect designated disadvantaged schools; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41257/11]

Gerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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Question 184: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills further to Parliamentary Question No. 114 of 13 December 2011 if he will provide a list of all the schools affected by the decision to withdraw 428 posts from disadvantaged or DEIS schools and if he will outline the number of posts that each school will lose. [41258/11]

Finian McGrath (Dublin North Central, Independent)
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Question 187: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the position regarding staff cuts at a school (details supplied) in Dublin 17. [41274/11]

Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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Question 226: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the schools in the Dublin 8, 10 and 12 areas which are DEIS schools, and to explain for each the likely effects on teaching hours, resource teaching, language teaching and career guidance in each of the schools and if a change from the announced changes in the education budget is likely to take place before the end of January in view of the distress this is causing for disadvantaged communities. [41432/11]

Maureen O'Sullivan (Dublin Central, Independent)
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Question 227: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he has confirmed that certain DEIS schools have been told they will not be experiencing those cuts imposed on them in Budget 2012. [41440/11]

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)
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Question 239: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he will mitigate the impacts of budgetary adjustments on a school (details supplied) which anticipates losing 12 teachers and €74,000 per annum arising from the loss of DEIS band 2 status in addition to other financial losses arising out of the reduction to capitation and other grants; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1064/12]

Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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Question 252: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of teaching posts that will be lost in each of the following DEIS schools (details supplied) in the Dublin central constituency. [1371/12]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal North East, Fianna Fail)
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Question 257: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the criteria by which exemptions for schools due to lose staff as a result of the removal of concessionary posts announced in Budget 2012 will be considered; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1491/12]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 153, 166, 167, 183, 184, 187, 226, 227, 239, 252 and 257 together.

It is important to note that a key aspect of the EU/IMF Programme of Support and Ireland's overall budgetary strategy is a requirement to reduce the public sector payroll. In the Education sector finding savings and controlling the increase in public sector numbers is particularly difficult given that one third of all public sector employees work in the education sector.

A significant challenge in our school sector, unlike other countries, is the rapidly rising school going population. Places have to be provided for the extra 70,000 pupils arriving in our schools in the next six years. Teachers have to be appointed to teach them. Providing for increased enrolments is a key priority but making some adjustment to teacher numbers is unavoidable given the budgetary constraints. The net impact on overall teacher numbers in our schools has been minimised to the greatest extent possible. Achieving savings in my Department's budget has required very difficult decisions to be made. Despite the pressures on spending, the Government has shielded, to the greatest extent possible, frontline services in schools.

Conscious of the concerns of some schools that will be adversely affected by the withdrawal of certain posts under previous disadvantage schemes, I have met with school principals, teachers, parents and communities in recent weeks, to hear their concerns and clarify the position in relation to changes announced under Budget 2012 to posts allocated to schools under previous schemes to tackle educational disadvantage.

Consequently, I have asked my Department for a report within the coming weeks on the position of DEIS Band 1 and Band 2 schools who currently have posts under older schemes, in the context of the staffing allocations due to issue to all schools in the coming weeks.

My Department is currently working on the staffing allocation for all schools and is not in a position at the present time to give details of staffing measures for individual schools.

Schools will be notified in the coming weeks of their staffing entitlements under the new arrangements for 2012/13.

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal North East, Sinn Fein)
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Question 155: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of teachers, school support and assistant posts that have been lost in schools across County Donegal over the past two years; and if he will outline the schools affected. [41006/11]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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The Statistics Section of my Department's website contains extensive data at individual school level in county order. The most recent information available relates to the 2010/2011 school year. Statistical information in respect of the current school year is currently being compiled in my Department and is due for publication in September 2012.