Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, Solidarity)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

151. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the average amount spent each year on subsidies for private education institutions. [47198/19]

Joe McHugh (Donegal, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

Gross expenditure on the order of €95 million was incurred in 2018 on salaries for teachers and special needs assistants (including employer’s PRSI) in fee-charging schools. The total amount spent on Capital Expenditure (including ICT grants) in 2018 was on the order of €0.958 million.

If the parents of children in the fee charging sector chose to send their children to the non-fee-paying sector, the State would have to fund those school places. In this respect, the figures quoted relate to the gross cost of fee-charging schools and not the net cost. Since it is not possible to predict these patterns of behaviour it is not possible to calculate the net financial position.

Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, Solidarity)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

152. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the estimated cost to bring all private education institutions into public ownership. [47199/19]

Joe McHugh (Donegal, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

My Department has not undertaken any assessment of the feasibility of bringing all private educational institutions into State ownership, having regard to the Constitutional, legal, policy, financial and operational aspects of this question. I am therefore not in a position to provide any estimate of the costs of such a proposal.