Sandra McLellan (Cork East, Sinn Fein)
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To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he will retain the pupil teacher ratio in Budget 2013; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50706/12]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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At this point I do not propose to give any specific commitment on the allocation of teachers to schools for the 2013/14 school year. The number of teaching posts that we can afford to fund in schools is a matter that I will have to consider with my colleagues in Cabinet in the context of the next budget. The Government will endeavour to protect frontline education services as best as possible. However, this must be done within the context of bringing our overall public expenditure into line with what we can afford as a country. The challenge will be to ensure that the resources that can be provided are used to maximum effect to achieve the best possible outcome for pupils.