Written answers

Thursday, 26 April 2018

Department of Education and Skills

Capitation Grants

Photo of Thomas ByrneThomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail)
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107. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the progress he has made in linking additional capitation for schools to provision of after-school care and facilities to local groups. [18413/18]

Photo of Richard BrutonRichard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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The Programme for a Partnership Government committed to providing additional capitation funding linked to the utilisation of primary school buildings for after-school care provision for school age children to offer more options and flexibility to parents, where there is demand for such a service, in partnership with community groups or private providers.

I can confirm that, further to consultation with relevant school authorities, guidelines on the use of School Buildings outside of School Hours were published in October 2017; these can be viewed on my Department's website. The purpose of these guidelines is to provide guidance for schools in relation to the use of school buildings outside of school hours and for those schools who are considering putting such arrangements in place.

The commitment in the Programme for Government will be considered in the context of the 2019 budgetary process.

Photo of Thomas ByrneThomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail)
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108. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the progress that has been made on the programme for partnership Government commitment to provide annual increases in capitation to schools. [18414/18]

Photo of Richard BrutonRichard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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The Programme for a Partnership Government committed to investing an extra €500m in education by 2021 through various measures including annual increases in primary and secondary capitation rates. Through budget 2017 and Budget 2018, we are now investing €1 billion more in education.

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.

I recognise the need to improve capitation funding for schools having regard to the reductions that were necessary over recent years. The first cuts to capitation were announced in October 2010 by the then Minister for Finance.  Restoring capitation funding as resources permit is one of the actions I have included in the Action Plan for Education.

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 to 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.  A similar type approach in relation to improvements in grant funding was applied, as appropriate, at post-primary level.

Photo of Thomas ByrneThomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail)
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109. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills when he will set out capitation rates on a rolling three year basis as per the programme for partnership Government commitment. [18415/18]

Photo of Richard BrutonRichard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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In relation to capitation levels for future years, the Programme for a Partnership Government commited to investing an extra €500m in education by 2021 through various measures including annual increases in primary and secondary capitation rates.  It also provided for the setting out of capitation rates to schools on a rolling 3-year basis. Through Budget 2017 & Budget 2018, we are now investing €1 billion more in education.

The Action Plan for Education outlines hundreds of actions to be implemented over the 3 year period 2016-2019 which include restoring capitaiton funding as resources permit.

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 to 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.  A similar type approach in relation to improvements in grant funding was applied, as appropriate, at post-primary level.

The commitments in the Programme, including setting out of capitation rates on a rolling 3-year basis will be considered in the context of the budgetary process.

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