Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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184. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of career guidance counsellors in place since September 2016; if this number will be increased from January to June 2017; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40867/16]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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Budget 2016 provided for an allocation of 300 additional to second level schools for the purpose of enhancing guidance provision. This improvement took effect from September 2016.

Budget 2017 provides for 2,400 additional teaching posts by the end of 2017. This includes 100 posts arising from enhancements to guidance. These posts will come on stream in September 2017.

The allocation of a whole time equivalent of an additional 100 teachers to second level schools is a restoration of a further 16% of the teaching resources that were removed when the allocation of guidance posts was brought within quota. 

The delivery of this 16% restoration in addition to the 50% restoration in Budget 2016, means that two thirds of the Guidance allocation that was withdrawn in Budget 2012 will be restored in our schools with effect from September 2017.

As a result of this decision to further enhance the guidance allocation to schools and provide schools with a separate allocation for guidance outside of the quota, the pupil teacher ratio (PTR) will revert to 19:1 with effect from September 2017. This will mean that 400 posts will be provided in respect of Guidance as a separate allocation from outside of the quota. The guidance allocation will be shown separately on the staffing schedules and will represent 0.4 of the PTR for each school. DEIS schools will have a guidance allocation of 1.15 of the PTR which represents the total guidance allocation that was restored to these schools.