Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú)
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301. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the current number of primary and secondary schools that are in debt; and the total amount of debt owed by primary and secondary schools, in each of the past five years. [4416/25]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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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 the employment of relevant secretaries as per Circular 0036/2022.

The current standard rate of Capitation grant is €200 per pupil in primary schools and €345 per student in post-primary schools.

Primary schools with fewer than 60 pupils are paid the Capitation and the Ancillary grants on the basis of having 60 pupils. At post-primary level, schools with fewer than 200 students receive ancillary-related grants on the basis of having 200 students.

As part of the capitation package in Budget 2025 the Government provided over €30 million as a permanent increase in capitation funding to assist schools now and longer term with increased day-to-day running costs. This represents an increase of circa 12% on current standard rates and enhanced rates. This increase is on top of the circa 9.2% increase from last year’s budget. This will bring the standard rate of Capitation grant to the level of €224 per pupil in primary schools and €386 per student in post-primary schools from September 2025. Enhanced rates will also be paid in respect of pupils with special educational needs and Traveller pupils. Schools should also ensure that they are availing of the available OGP procurement frameworks and getting best value for money for all school expenditure.

The Financial Support Services Unit (FSSU), funded by my Department, is an important source of advice and support to schools on financial matters, including budgeting and cashflow management. Any schools that are experiencing financial difficulty can contact the FSSU for guidance and support. Contact details for FSSU can be found on .

Séamus McGrath (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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302. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the funding support available to schools for the installation of solar panels; and if she will consider providing additional support in this area given the environmental benefits and the consequential reduction in energy costs for the school. [4419/25]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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The Schools PV Programme provides eligible schools with up to 6 kilowatts peak of roof-mounted solar photovoltaic (PV) installations on their roofs, which equates to approximately 14 solar panels.

The Schools PV Programme is funded by the Government’s Climate Action Fund in line with the Government’s recognition that taking action on climate change is central to Ireland’s social and economic development. It is assisting schools in reducing their energy costs and carbon footprint as part of the response to meeting the 2030 and 2050 Climate Action Plan targets for the schools’ sector

The programme funding for 6 kWp installations ensures that there are no additional costs for schools under the grid connection process and there are no grid restrictions limiting export, the grid connection process is covered under the ESB Networks ‘NC6 inform and fit’ notification process. Unlike the NC7 and NC8 mini and small-scale generator connection processes (which covers installations greater than 6 kWp

Schools are able to choose an energy supply company offering the best value tariffs for both the import and export of electricity, with the opportunity to maximise their remuneration during the summer months and other times when the school is not occupied under the Clean Export Guarantee (CEG) scheme.

The typical amount a school can save will depend on a number of factors. However, by way of example, a school with a 6 kW Solar PV installation could expect to save in the region of €1200-1600 per annum on their bill, including credit for their electricity export.

The overall programme will see up to 24 megawatts of installed renewable energy provision on schools with associated savings in the region of €5.5 million per year across 4,000 schools.

As well as the obvious financial and climate benefits, the visibility of the solar panels on schools is also delivering the added benefit of encouraging discussion and uptake of the technology in the wider community.

The installation of solar PV panels schools directly assists schools to reduce their carbon emissions and energy costs, while also educating pupils and the wider school community about the benefits of solar technology.

Since the launch of the programme in November 2023, more than 3,241 schools have been approved for funding for the installation of PV panels with more than 1,000 installations confirmed as completed so far.