Olivia Mitchell (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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Question 211: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he will provide in tabular form the cost of the provision of transition year imposed on the Exchequer each year since its conception; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16660/12]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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The Transition Year was introduced as a pilot project in September 1974, and was mainstreamed in September 1994.

My Department is not in a position to provide the information requested by the Deputy going back to 1974. Schools offering transition year are provided with additional teaching and financial resources in respect of the cohort of pupils availing of the programme.

In the current school year, an additional teacher allocation is given to each school in the Free Education Scheme offering the transition year based on a pupil teacher ratio (PTR) of 19 to 1. In the case of fee-charging schools, the PTR applicable is 20 to 1. My Department has allocated circa 1,600 whole time equivalent teaching posts in the 2011/2012 school year in respect of transition year.

Schools in the Free Education Scheme also qualify for payment of a transition year grant of €95 for each pupil participating in the programme. Fee-charging schools do not receive any grant aid. The estimated cost of transition year grants in 2012 is €2.5m.