Pat Gallagher (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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240. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills his plans to increase the capitation grants for schools in budget 2020; if his attention has been drawn to the fact that a number of schools are struggling financially due to the reduced rates of grants available under the capitation grants at present; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23487/19]

Joe McHugh (Donegal, Fine Gael)
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I fully recognise the need to improve capitation funding for schools.

In the period 2011 to 2015 the capitation and related grants for schools were reduced by just over 11% in aggregate.  

I am pleased to have been able to provide for a 5% increase in capitation funding for primary and post primary schools that will apply from the start of the 2019/20 school year. Over the course of the school year 2019/20, an additional €10 million will be allocated to primary and post primary schools, of which €4 million will be allocated in 2019.

I must be prudent in the context of ongoing budgetary pressures. Where it is not possible to do everything that I would like to do in the education sector in any one year I have to prioritise, especially in the context of increasing enrolments.

It is my intention to seek funding for further capitation increases in future budgets.