Tommy Broughan (Dublin Bay North, Independent)
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495. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the projects his Department is prioritising in budget 2017; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26114/16]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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The Programme for Government commits the Government to working with the Oireachtas to increase expenditure on public services in order to meet the rising costs of demographics and to make targeted improvements in public services, including education, having regard to economic growth forecasts and adherence to fiscal rules.

The context in which budgetary decisions for 2017 will be made were set out by the Government in the two key documents: the Summer Economic Statement and the Mid-Year Expenditure Report, which among other things, outline the available fiscal space and highlight the range of competing expenditure pressures across Government.

The Mid Year Expenditure Report confirms that an increase of €103 million has been allowed in my Department's 2017 expenditure ceiling to meet certain demographic pressures, the full year costs of some 600 additional Resources Teachers to be recruited from September 2016, and the full year costs of staffing schedule improvements announced in Budget 2016. It also confirms that approximately €130 million will be allocated to provide for the costs of the Lansdowne Road Agreement in the education sector.

Beyond this, my aim for Budget 2017 and subsequent years will be to seek to progressively deliver on the education and training commitments set out in the Programme for a Partnership Government, the Confidence and Supply Arrangement and my Department's new Strategy Statement and Action Plan for Education 2016-2019, subject to the availability of resources.

I also look forward to engaging with the Joint Committee on Education and Skills, which will be meeting on 29 September to consider Budget 2017, to hear their recommendations on expenditure priorities.