Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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239. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if additional funding will made available for a school (details supplied); if not, the reason for same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9480/18]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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My Department recently received correspondence from the school referred to by the Deputy. 

I recognise the need to improve capitation funding for schools having regard to the reductions that were necessary over recent years.

Budget 2018 marked the second year of major reinvestment in the education sector, as we continue to implement the Action Plan for Education, which has the central aim to make the Irish Education and Training service the best in Europe within a decade.  In 2018, the budget for the Department of Education increased by €554 million to over €10 billion.

The process is underway for restoring grant funding that is used by schools to fund the salaries of ancillary staff.  The ancillary grant was increased by €6 in 2016, €5 in 2017 and €5 in 2018, in order to enable primary schools implement the arbitration salary increase for grant funded school secretaries and caretakers and to also implement the restoration of salary for cleaners arising from the unwinding of FEMPI legislation.