John Lahart (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)
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137. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the amount of funding that was allocated to the secondary education committee in 2015 and 2016; if his Department has any input on the administrating of these funds from the committee; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6266/17]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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The amount of funding provided to the Secondary Education Committee by my Department was €6.75 million in each of the years 2015 and 2016.

The Secondary Education Committee then disburses funds to the Protestant fee-charging schools on behalf of pupils who would otherwise have difficulty with the cost of fees and who, in the absence of such financial support, would be unable to attend a second level school of a reformed church or Protestant ethos. This fund ensures that necessitous Protestant children can attend a school of their choice.

These arrangements are underpinned by way of a Memorandum of Understanding. The Memorandum of Understanding is agreed between my Department and the Secondary Education Committee.