Written answers

Tuesday, 27 July 2021

Department of Education and Skills

School Funding

Photo of Richard Boyd BarrettRichard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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1075. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the estimated full year cost of measures (details supplied). [41229/21]

Photo of Norma FoleyNorma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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The information requested by the Deputy in relation to full year cost of measure is set out in the table below.

Details Estimated Full Year Cost €m
Indicative estimate of providing free primary and post-primary school books to all pupils across all fully publicly funded schools based on a survey by Barnardos €40
Restoring capitation grant to Primary and Post Primary Schools to pre-2010 levels. €20
Restoring support for guidance to pre-2008 levels See Note below

Restoring support for guidance to pre-2008 levels

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 wellbeing.

There are currently 824 Guidance posts allocated to post primary schools. The corresponding figure for 2008/09 was 708 Guidance posts. As such, these posts have been restored to pre-2008 levels.

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

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