Thomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail)
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304. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the estimated cost of fully restoring the ex-quota guidance counsellor provision in budget 2018. [34331/17]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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Measures announced by my Department as part of Budget 2016 and 2017 mean that 400 guidance posts, or two thirds of the guidance allocation that was withdrawn in Budget 2012, will be restored to schools from September 2017.

All of these 400 posts are allocated separately and transparently on the normal staffing schedule of posts for schools. The restoration of these posts will allow each school to determine how best to allocate the additional resources to meet the guidance needs of the school in accordance with the School's Guidance Plan. 

The cost of restoring the remaining posts is in the region of €13m.  This will be considered in the context of future Budgets, however there are needs across the system which have to be balanced in the decisions made in each budget.