Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein)
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150. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the amount of funding allocated to schools for guidance counselling services from 2010 to 2020 and to date in 2021, in tabular form. [33695/21]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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My Department has committed considerable resources towards the restoration of guidance counselling hours to post-primary schools, to the provision of CPD for guidance counsellors and to the provision of a national guidance counselling supervision service for post-primary guidance counsellors in recent times.

The guidance allocation is provided separately and transparently on each school's staffing schedule. These posts have been ring-fenced so they can only be used for guidance activities and to meet the guidance needs of the school.

As part of the COVID-19 operational supports to schools for the 2021/22 school year, approximately 120 posts have been provided for guidance to support student well-being.

There are currently 824 Guidance posts allocated to post primary schools. The corresponding figure for 2010/11 was 730 Guidance posts.

Current expenditure on guidance counsellors posts in second level schools stands at €55.2 million.