Carol Nolan (Offaly, Independent)
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71. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if provision will be made in budget 2019 to increase the capitation grant to primary schools. [41420/18]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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I recognise the need to improve capitation funding for schools. The Programme for Government commits to capitation increases in primary and post primary schools. My Department will increase capitation rates by 5% from September 2019, the full year cost of which is €10m. This increase is the beginning of the process for the restoration of capitation which is one of the actions included in the Action Plan for Education.

Restoring capitation funding as resources permit is one of the actions included in the Action Plan for Education and I remain committed to achieving this. However, I must be prudent in the context of ongoing budgetary pressures and prioritise where it is not possible to do everything that I would like to do in the education sector in any one year.