Terence Flanagan (Dublin North East, Fine Gael)
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To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he will respond to a query regarding fee paying schools (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46663/12]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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The funding to which the Deputy refers, is the arrangement whereby the salaries of teachers employed within the approved annual staffing allocation for fee charging schools by my Department, are paid by the State; an arrangement that pre-dates the introduction of the Free Education scheme and which exists since the foundation of the State. The estimated cost of these posts is in the order of €100m.

The Deputy will be aware that I announced a review last December, in the context of the Budget 2012, where I made a further one point change to the staffing allocation of fee charging schools. I indicated at the time that the purpose of the review would be to inform future policy in relation to Exchequer support for these schools. The review will be included in the material used to inform Government deliberations on the next budget. I would like to make it clear that there has been no decision relating to fee paying schools and any budget adjustments for this year. Given the extremely difficult economic circumstances that this country is facing and the fact that every Department has to find considerable cost-savings, all expenditure must be examined to see if cost-savings can be found. I wish to reiterate that no decisions in relation to the upcoming Budget have been made.