John Curran (Dublin Mid West, Fianna Fail)
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246. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the reason the issue of class sizes in primary schools was not addressed in the Budget Statement 2019; his plans to address this issue; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47130/18]

Joe McHugh (Donegal, Fine Gael)
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Budget 2019 marks the third year of a major reinvestment in the education sector, as we continue to implement the Action Plan for Education, our plan to make Ireland’s education and training service the best in Europe by 2026. In 2019, the budget for the Department of Education and Skills will increase by €674 million, a 6.7% increase on last year. In total, the Education budget will have increased by €1.7 billion compared to 2016.

Budget 2019 will see numbers employed in our schools reach the highest ever level. Over 1,300 additional posts in schools will be funded, including more than 370 teaching posts to cater for growth in student population and additional special classes. This builds on the Budget 2018 measure which provided 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.

Any additional increase in the teacher numbers has to be considered as part of future budgetary processes, alongside the many other demands from the education sector