Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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349. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if the size of a school building is considered when assessing and granting funding for utilities and maintenance-related costs; if not; if her Department will consider this as a factor going forward in order to ensure appropriate levels of funding for larger schools. [45058/22]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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My Department provides funding to all recognised schools in the Free Education Scheme by way of per capita grants which are paid based on the number of students enrolled in the school. The two main grants are the Capitation grant to cater for day to day running costs including heating, lighting etc. and the Ancillary grant to cater for the cost of employing ancillary services staff. These grants may be regarded as a common grant, from which the Board of Management can allocate according to its own priorities within the guidelines of DPER Circular 13/14, where the funding must be used for the purposes in which it was given for. I have committed to seeking funding for further increases in the capitation in future budgets.

My Department also provides funding to Primary Schools in the form of a Minor Works Grant, this grant is primarily based on the number of students enrolled in the school. The payment of this grant gives schools the opportunity to undertake any minor works providing good flexibility to address issues at local school level and to take a targeted approach.

The use of per capita grant systems with standard base amounts and/or minimum thresholds etc. are a mechanism to align funding levels to the size of schools while at the same time ensuring minimum levels of funding for our small schools.

In 2020 and 2021, €90 million was provided to Primary schools under the Minor Works Grant and an additional €132 million was provided to Primary and Post Primary schools as an Enhanced Minor Works Grant to assist schools to manage in the COVID-19 environment and to put more sustainable arrangements in place in the context of Covid-19.