Tommy Broughan (Dublin Bay North, Independent)
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82. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills his plans to reduce primary class sizes and DEIS class sizes in 2019; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28781/18]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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Budget 2018 marks 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.

Improvements to the staffing schedule at primary level in Budget 2016 and Budget 2018 brings the teacher allocation ratio to the most favourable ever seen at primary level.  From this September, schools will operate on the basis of a general average of 1 classroom teacher for every 26 pupils with lower thresholds for DEIS Band 1 schools.

In the last two years, we have hired 5,000 additional new teachers and Budget 2018 provides for an additional 1280 teaching posts in the 2018/19 school year.

This budget measure delivers on a commitment made in the Confidence and Supply Agreement and Programme for Government to reduce primary schools class size.

Each 1 point adjustment to the primary staffing schedule is estimated to cost in the region of €16.5m per annum.  Any additional improvement would have to be considered as part of the next annual budgetary process, alongside the many other demands from the education sector.