Charlie McConalogue (Donegal North East, Fianna Fail)
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To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he will provide details of the agreement between his Department and Kilkenny College as part of the college agreeing to enter the free education scheme; if it is envisaged that similar additional costs will accrue for the Exchequer in the event of other fee-charging schools joining the free education scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15287/13]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal North East, Fianna Fail)
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To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the additional cost to the Exchequer as a result of the decision of Kilkenny College to enter the free education scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15288/13]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 274 and 275 together.

The Government is committed to supporting access of minority denomination communities to schools that are of their tradition or ethos. The provision made by Kilkenny College caters for the needs of children from the Protestant community spread across several counties. Accordingly when the authorities of Kilkenny College indicated that they were considering that the long term future of that school might be better secured by entering the Free Scheme I was happy to have officials of my Department work with the college authorities to work through a basis on which such a transfer would be feasible if that was their ultimate judgement. The Deputy will appreciate that over the course of those detailed discussions the College authorities shared information in confidence with the Department. While that is the case I do want to advise the Deputy of the agreement reached with the College. Kilkenny College will cease to charge fees with effect from the start of school year in September next and as a result my Department will in future pay the salaries of a teacher for every 19 students attending the College. This compares with one teacher for every 21 students in fee charging schools at present and which will rise to one teacher for every 23 students in September 2013. My Department will also provide capitation and related funding to the College on the same basis as every other voluntary secondary school within the Free Education Scheme. I also approved certain transition arrangements in relation to teaching staff employed by the College and reviewed the level of exchequer funding approved by the Department for building projects carried out by the College. The precise cost of additional exchequer expenditure in Kilkenny College will be a function later this year of the actual enrolment in the College as a school within the Free Scheme. The report I published recently "Fee Charging Schools - Analysis of Fee income" included an amount of € 23.55 million exchequer funding foregone by the schools. This equates with the amount of exchequer funding that would be paid out if every single fee charging school sought to transfer to the Free Scheme. I do not envisage that all of the schools will seek to do so. However, any approach to my Department will be considered on an individual basis that will take account of the significance of the provision concerned in terms of diversity and overall demand for school places in the locality served by the school.

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal North East, Fianna Fail)
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To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the estimated average cost to the Exchequer of a student attending a secondary school participating in the free education scheme and the way this compares to the average cost to his Department for each student attending a fee paying school; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15289/13]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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The estimated average cost per student of a teaching post allocated to a voluntary secondary school in the Free Education scheme at a ratio of 19:1 is estimated at €3,368. A student enrolled in a school in the Free Education scheme also attracts per capita and associated grants totalling €639 per annum. Accordingly, the average per student cost in respect of a voluntary secondary school in the Free Education scheme is €4,007. The estimated average cost per pupil of a teaching post allocated to a fee charging school at a ratio of 21:1 is estimated at €3,048. Grants are not paid by my Department in respect of students enrolled in fee-charging schools.