Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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454. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will consider increasing the cap on the annual ancillary services grant for schools with over 500 pupils enrolled; and if consideration will be given to this grant being paid on a per pupil basis with no cap. [23870/21]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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My Department provides capitation grant funding to all recognised primary schools.

The amount paid to an individual primary school for capitation and ancillary services is determined by the school’s enrolment. Both of these grants are subject to minimum enrolments and therefore the grant paid to schools with an enrolment of equal to or less than 60 pupils is based on an enrolment of 60 pupils.

As the Deputy is aware, the Ancillary Services Grant is subject to a maximum enrolment of 500 pupils. Therefore schools with enrolments of 500 or more are paid this grant based on an enrolment of 500 pupils. There is no maximum limit on the Capitation Grant.

In 2021 the Capitation Grant rate is €183 per pupil and the Ancillary Services Grant rate is €173 per pupil. The 500 pupil cap on the Ancillary Services Grant equates to a maximum grant of €86,500. Within the context of limitations on available resources, this level of funding is considered a reasonable amount to cater for the secretarial and caretaking needs of a large school.

The Deputy may wish to note that schools have the flexibility to use capitation funding provided for general running costs and ancillary funding provided for caretaking and secretarial services as a common grant which is outlined in Circular 40/2009.