Willie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail)
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124. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills for an update on the additional allocation for social inclusion measures, including enhancing the capacity of the Tusla education support services and additional educational welfare officer posts that she announced as part of Budget 2024; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [52748/23]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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As part of Budget 2024, additional targeted funding will be provided to social inclusion and educational supports which help facilitate the continued provision of high quality and inclusive school and education systems and promote improved learning outcomes for pupils and students.

Funding of €5 million is being provided for additional Educational Welfare Officers posts. It will also provide supports for the Alternative Education Assessment and Registration Service (AEARS) for their work in relation to the assessment of education provision in places other than in recognised schools, including home schooling and independent schools. There is also €2 million once-off funding provided for increasing services in school retention and completion programmes and supports targeted at the most educationally disadvantaged children.

As part of Budget 2023, I announced a major investment of over €50 million to provide free schoolbooks in recognised primary schools and special schools. This was a landmark moment in Irish education and one that furthers our goal to provide free education for all and ensure that every child can benefit from free education. To further the delivery of our important government commitment, funding is allocated under Budget 2024 to extend the free schoolbooks scheme to all students in junior cycle years in public post primary schools from the 2024/25 school year. The total funding available under Budget 2024 for this extension of the scheme is €67 million. Students in over 670 post-primary schools across all counties will benefit from this new measure.

The additional funds allocated to my Department under Budget 2024 build on significant increases in recent budgets and further enhance the Government’s investment in Ireland’s primary and post-primary education system. The significant increased investment is the largest Education budget in the history of the state and reflects the Government’s commitment to a quality inclusive school system and improved learning outcomes for every student.

For full details of the key education features of Budget 2024, see: www.gov.ie/en/publication/f36d3-main-features-of-budget-2024-education/.