Carol Nolan (Offaly, Sinn Fein)
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515. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the amount which has been allocated by his Department to demographic pressures over each of the next five years for each budget in capital and current expenditure; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26221/16]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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Indicative figures for the cost of providing for demographics were set out in two analytical papers (details below) compiled by the Irish Government Economic and Evaluation Service (IGEES) and published by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform.

These figures formed the basis of the Current Expenditure Ceilings set for the Education & Skills Vote for each of the years 2017-19 in the Mid-Year Expenditure Report which was published in July.

In 2017 an additional €51m has been included in the Expenditure Ceiling to provide for demographic pressures on the current side. An additional €58m and €49m (on the current side) have been included for 2018 and 2019 respectively.

At this stage no expenditure ceilings have been set beyond 2019.

On the capital side, my Department reviews on an ongoing basis the latest nationwide demographic data available in order to assess where further additional provision may be required at primary and post-primary levels.

The announcement on 29 September 2015 of Building on Recovery: Infrastructure and Capital investment 2016-2021 specified an investment of €4 billion to the Education sector through direct Exchequer provision and the PPP programme. In excess of €3 billion of the investment is in respect of the schools sector.

Last November, a new programme of over 300 major school building projects for the period 2016 to 2021 was announced. These projects, together with approvals under the devolved Additional Accommodation Scheme, are designed to meet the increases in pupil numbers that will arise in both the primary and post-primary school sectors.

Details of the IGEES analytical papers are as follows:

a) Budgetary Impact of Changing Demographics 2016 -2026 October, 2015 and

b) Primary and Second Level Education: 2016-2033 Expenditure Implications of Demographic Change.

Both publications are available on the Irish Government Economic and Evaluation Service website.