Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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259. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the level of financial subsidies paid to private schools; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4907/20]

Joe McHugh (Donegal, Fine Gael)
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Gross expenditure on the order of €96 million is incurred by the Department of Education and Skills on salaries for teachers and special needs assistants (including employer’s PRSI) in fee-charging schools.

If the parents of children in the fee-charging sector chose to send their children to the non-fee-charging 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 financial position. Since it is not possible to predict these patterns of behaviour it is not possible to calculate the net financial position.