Tommy Broughan (Dublin Bay North, Independent)
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153. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the status of the commitment in the programme for Government to enhance guidance counselling in secondary schools; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26261/17]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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Action Plan for Education 2016-2019  has a specific action to enhance guidance counselling at second-level as resources permit.  A significant move was made in the 2016/17 school year with the restoration of half of the cut in provision for guidance counselling.  This was equivalent to the restoration of 300 posts.

The allocation of a whole time equivalent of a further additional 100 teachers to second level schools in Budget 2017 is a restoration of a further 16% of the teaching resources that were removed.

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in addition to the 50% restoration in Budget 2016, means that two thirds of the Guidance allocation that was withdrawn in Budget 2012 will be restored in our schools with effect from September 2017. 

The 400 posts will be provided in respect of Guidance as a separate allocation on school's staffing schedules from September 2017.  The guidance allocation shown separately on the staffing schedules represents 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.

I will continue to consider further restorations in future Budgets.