Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick, Fine Gael)
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176. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills to set out the financial benefit to the State if there was a freeze on the pupil-teacher ratio for the 2014-15 year; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19143/14]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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I assume the Deputy is referring to the implementation of the final phase of the Budget 2012 measure where there is a phased increase in the number of pupils required to gain and retain a classroom teaching post in small primary schools. The final phase of the budget measure is being implemented as part of the staffing arrangements for schools for the 2014/15 school year. The precise amount of savings that will arise from this phase of the budget measure will be known in the Autumn when the allocations process has fully completed and any appeals to the remaining meetings of the Staffing Appeals Board have been considered.

Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick, Fine Gael)
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177. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills to set out the current maximum pupil-teacher ratio for small schools; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19144/14]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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The staffing schedule used for the allocation of teachers to primary schools is published annually on my Department's website. The staffing schedule operates on the basis of enrolment bands which specify the minimum and maximum number of pupils for the allocation of classroom teachers. The maximum number of pupils in the enrolment band for a 1-teacher school is 19 pupils, 55 pupils for a 2-teacher school and 85 pupils for a 3-teacher school. The staffing schedule sets out the lower thresholds which apply in the case of Deis Band 1 schools.