Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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199. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if it is intended to extend the cost-of-living measure to support increased school running costs past the current academic year; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23574/24]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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My Department is committed to providing funding to recognised primary and post-primary schools in the free education scheme by way of per capita grants. The two main grants are the Capitation grant to cater for day to day running costs such as heating, lighting, cleaning, insurance and general up-keep, and the Ancillary grant to cater for the cost of employing ancillary services staff. 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 from which the Board of Management can allocate according to its own priorities, except for cases where a secretary is now paid from my Department’s payroll as per circular 36/2022.

As part of Budget 2024, €10.5 billion in total funding was secured for Education. This significant increase in funding ensures that the total budget is at the highest ever for our primary and post primary schools. The funding will ensure continued reduced costs for families; it will continue to tackle disadvantage and it will provide further supports to safeguard inclusive education for all school communities.

Budget 2024 provides targeted funding for school communities with an increase in capitation of over €81 million.

The current standard rate of Capitation grant is €183 per pupil at Primary level and at post primary the standard rate is €316 per student for voluntary secondary schools.

As part of the capitation package in Budget 2024, I secured €21 million as a permanent increase in capitation funding to assist schools now and longer term with increased day-to-day running costs. This will support a permanent restoration of funding for all primary and post-primary schools from September 2024. This will bring the basic rate of capitation to €200 per student in primary schools and to €345 in voluntary secondary schools. Enhanced rates will also be paid in respect of pupils with Special Educational Needs and Traveller pupils. This represents an increase of circa 9.2% on current standard and enhanced capitation rates.

The €81 million secured for capitation also includes €60 million as part of the Cost of Living measures in Budget 2024. All recognised primary and post-primary schools in the Free Education scheme have benefitted from this additional capitation funding, paid at a rate of €49 per pupil at primary level and €75 at post-primary level. Enhanced rates were also paid in respect of pupils with Special Educational Needs and Traveller pupils. This funding was paid in two instalments to schools, in October 2023 and in early 2024 respectively.

Any possible further increases will be part of Budget 2025 negotiations. While not wishing to pre-empt the outcomes of any future Budget negotiations or fiscal parameters agreed by Government, the Department of Education will continue to seek and prioritise the additional funding required to meet the ongoing costs of running schools as part of the annual Estimates process.

The Financial Support Services Unit (FSSU), funded by my Department, is an important source of advice and support to schools on financial matters.