Brendan Griffin (Kerry South, Fine Gael)
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570. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills further to requests since early 2012 from this Deputy, if she will include severe geographic isolation and impossibility of amalgamation with another school because of distance, as a grounds for appealing a mainstream teacher allocation for two, three and four teacher schools; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [48126/14]

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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An appeals process is available to small schools affected by the 2012 budget change. The appeal mechanism has been made available to all types of small school and this mechanism has been based on objective enrolment data. A school with four classroom teachers or less which is losing a teacher or failed to gain an additional teacher as a result of the Budget 2012 measures can submit an appeal to the Primary Staffing Appeals Board. Details on the appeals process are made available in the staffing schedule for the current school year. The Appeals Board operates independently of the Department and its decision is final.

If geographic isolation was to be included as an appeal criterion, it would be challenging to provide an objective definition of geographic isolation that would be generally acceptable. Such an objective definition would have to be devised and agreed in the interest of running an equitable appeals process.

The Government recognises that small schools are an important part of the social fabric of rural communities. They will continue to be a feature of our education landscape. However, this does not mean that small schools can stand still or never have their staffing levels changed to something that is more affordable and sustainable for these difficult and challenging times.

The staffing arrangements for the 2015/16 school year will be published on the Department website in early 2015.