Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 255: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the extent if any to which discussions have taken place with the various school authorities likely to be affected by the loss of one or more teachers in September next; the extent if any to which it has been possible to identify or achieve a satisfactory resolution; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19913/12]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 256: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills his preferred options to address issues arising at schools affected by the loss of teachers in the coming year; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19914/12]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 257: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the extent to which he has identified schools throughout County Kildare likely to be affected by budgetary constraints introduced by his predecessor; the extents of any alleviation measures being considered; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19915/12]

Gerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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Question 274: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he will confirm that 22 full time teaching posts will be lost in second level teaching in County Louth from September 2012 as a result of cuts to guidance counselling announced in the Budget 2012; if he will provide a breakdown of which schools are losing posts; his views on whether guidance counsellors play a vital role in the education, support and the futures of young persons; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20407/12]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 255 to 257, inclusive, and 274 together.

Teacher allocations are approved annually in accordance with established rules based on recognised pupil enrolment. My Department has published the staffing arrangements at primary and post primary level for the coming school year, 2012/13. The relevant circulars, Primary 0007/2012 and Post Primary 0009/2012 are available on my Department's website.

At post primary level schools will have autonomy on how best to prioritise its available resources to meet its requirements in relation to guidance and the provision of an appropriate range of subjects to its students. Decisions on how this is done will be taken at school level and I am confident that schools will act in the best interest of students when determining precisely how to use the teaching resources available to them.

In accordance with existing arrangements, where a post primary school management authority is unable to meet its curricular commitments within its approved allocation, my Department considers applications for additional short term support i.e., curricular concessions.

The allocation processes at both primary and post primary level also include an appeals mechanism under which schools can appeal against the allocation due to them under the staffing schedules. The appeal procedures are set out in the circulars referred to above.

For the coming school year the existing staffing appeals criteria have been extended to enable some limited phasing arrangements for schools where the combination of budget and reform measures impact on a particularly adverse manner on a school's overall allocation.

The Appeal Boards operates independently of the Department and its decisions are final.

The April meeting of the Primary Staffing Appeals Board was held last week and individual schools are being notified early this week of the outcome of their appeals.

The final staffing position for all schools at primary and post primary level will ultimately not be known until the Autumn. At that stage the allocation process will be fully completed and all appeals to the Staffing Appeal Boards will have been considered.