Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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21. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the position regarding the commitment in the programme for Government to protect front-line services in education; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44785/14]

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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Despite continuing financial challenges, this Government has remained committed to protecting frontline education services as far as possible. This priority commitment was most recently demonstrated in Budget 2015, where my priority was to provide funding to maintain class sizes and to ensure that the education system could recruit more teachers. As a result, almost 1,400 additional teachers will be taken on in primary and post-primary schools next year. This includes some 900 new classroom teachers and 480 new resource teachers. There were no increases in staffing schedules in schools. The Budget also provided for an increase of 365 on the existing cap on numbers of Special Needs Assistants (SNAs) posts. By the end of 2015 there will be some 63,470 teachers and 11,330 SNAs in our schools. Funding provision has also been made to provide the additional school places needed to meet the increased demand and to progress the reform agenda in education.