Written answers

Tuesday, 24 January 2012

Department of Education and Skills

Departmental Funding

9:00 pm

Photo of John HalliganJohn Halligan (Waterford, Independent)
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Question 180: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he will confirm if there will be any subsidies available for parents wishing to send their children to schools with a Protestant ethos when there is no alternative free schooling available in the area (details supplied). [3325/12]

Photo of Ruairi QuinnRuairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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This Government recognises the importance of ensuring that students from a Protestant or reformed church background can attend a school that reflects their denominational ethos while at the same time ensuring that funding arrangements are in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution.

With regard to the fee-charging Protestant schools, an arrangement exists whereby funding is provided by my Department to the Secondary Education Committee (SEC), an organisation run by the churches involved in managing the Protestant secondary schools. The SEC then disburses funds to the Protestant fee-charging schools on behalf of pupils who would otherwise have difficulty with the cost of fees and who, in the absence of such financial support, would be unable to attend a second level school of a reformed church or Protestant ethos. Funding amounts to €6.5 million annually. This fund ensures that necessitous Protestant children can attend a school of their choice.

There are 6 Protestant Second Level Schools which do not charge fees, two in Dublin, one in Wicklow, one in Westmeath, one in Cork, and one in Donegal. I wish to advise the Deputy that students who board at a Protestant school which does not charge fees may also apply for a grant from the SEC to assist with boarding costs. A list of boarding schools is available on my Department's website.

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