Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

250. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the capital funding opportunities available for educational institutions such as a centre (details supplied); and if none, if the possibility for putting in place a capital funding stream for such educational institutions in which the institution prepares students for either junior certificate and or leaving certificate level exams will be examined. [35567/18]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

My Department’s immediate capital funding priority is providing 20,000 new and replacement school places each year, to ensure that every child has a school place. To ensure that this is achieved, the delivery of major school projects to meet significant demographic demands nationally is the main focus for capital investment in schools in the coming years.  The Six Year Construction Programme is focused on meeting this demand. In addition, on 13 April last, I announced that 42 new schools will be established over the next four years (2019-2022).  Given the need to meet demographic growth, the delivery of new schools, together with extension projects identified by my Department’s construction programme to meet future demand, will remain the focus of my Department’s budget for the coming years.

My Department is not currently in a position to provide capital funding to the facility referred to by the Deputy.

While my Department’s policy is to support students in mainstream provision, it also provides supports in a number of out-of-school settings including the Centre in question. Supports are also provided through the Education and Training Board sector to other out of school education providers such as Youthreach.

The Centre referred to by the Deputy currently receive financial supports from my Department through the Part-Time Hours Scheme for the teachersthey employ. In addition annual non-pay grants are paid by my Department, directly to the Dublin Dun Laoghaire ETB, to meet the non-pay running costs of the Centre.  

Action 88 of DEIS Plan 2017 provides for a review of current out of school provision to inform future policy in this area. This review is currently being carried out by a Working Group chaired by my Department and including representatives from Tusla and the ETB sector.