Noel Rock (Dublin North West, Fine Gael)
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78. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if Ireland already spends more per student than most other EU countries; the spending increases that should be expected in conjunction with primary school reform; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16619/17]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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In the most recent data available, Ireland ranked 10th among EU countries in terms of annual expenditure on educational institutions per student . Further information in this context is available in the OECD’s 2016 Education at a Glance Report (with particular reference to indicators B1 and B3), available on the OECD i-Library website. (Link: )

In relation to spending increases associated with primary school reform, it is not possible at this stage to accurately project the increases that may be necessary. The Action Plan for Education 2016-2017 includes actions related to the continued rollout of the new Primary Languages Curriculum, development of a new Primary Mathematics Curriculum, as well as a broad review of the structure of, and time allocation for, the Primary School Curriculum. This review is being conducted by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) which advises my Department on curriculum matters generally. In addition to curriculum development costs arising for the NCCA, the implementation and development of new and revised curricula gives rise to costs in terms of the Continuing Professional Development (CPD) required for teachers in schools. Some infrastructural costs may also arise.