David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
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102. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the cost of a 10% increase in guidance counselling hours. [30346/24]

David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
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103. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the cost of a 10% increase in guidance counsellors, and the WTE this would fund. [30347/24]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 102 and 103 together.

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.

A 10% increase in the guidance allocation would result in an additional 95 WTE posts at an annual cost of €5.1m.