Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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134. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the steps he is taking in order to reduce primary school class sizes further and bring them into line with the European average. [40177/18]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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Budget 2018 marked the second year of major reinvestment in the education sector, as we continued to implement the Action Plan for Education, which has the central aim to make the Irish education and training service the best in Europe by 2026.

Budget 2018 provided for an additional 1280 teaching posts in the 2018/19 school year. This includes a one point improvement in the staffing schedule in primary schools which brings the position to the most favourable ever seen at primary level.

The latest figures in relation to pupil teacher ratios show an improved ratio of teachers to students from 16:1 to 15.3:1 at primary level when comparing the 2015/16 school year to the 2017/18 school year. Average class sizes at primary level improved from 24.9 to 24.5 in the same period.

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.