Thomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail)
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290. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the estimated cost of a 5%, 10%, 15% and 20% increase in capitation grant to voluntary secondary schools. [31270/19]

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

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.  The first and full year costs of this increase is €4 million and €10 million respectively.

The estimated cost of restoring capitation by 10% in Voluntary Secondary schools is circa €5.2 million. 

The estimated cost of restoring capitation by 15% in Voluntary Secondary schools is circa €7.9 million. 

The estimated cost of restoring capitation by 20% in Voluntary Secondary schools is circa €10.4 million. 

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.

Thomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail)
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291. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the estimated cost of a 5%, 10%, 15% and 20% increase in capitation grant to community and comprehensive schools. [31271/19]

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

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.  The first and full year costs of this increase is €4 million and €10 million respectively.

The estimated cost of restoring capitation by 10% in Community and Comprehensive schools is circa €1.6 million. 

The estimated cost of restoring capitation by 15% in Community and Comprehensive schools is circa €2.4 million. 

The estimated cost of restoring capitation by 20% in Community and Comprehensive schools is circa €3.1 million. 

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.

Thomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail)
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292. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the estimated cost of restoring capitation and related grants to primary and post-primary schools to pre-2011 levels. [31272/19]

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

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.  The first and full year costs of this increase is €4 million and €10 million respectively.

In addition to the 5% increase above the estimated cost of restoring capitation to pre-2011 levels in primary and post-primary schools is circa €24.7 million. 

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.