asked the Minister for Education whether he proposes to increase the annual supplemental grant payable to post-primary schools that opted in to free education.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - School Grant.
22.
The rate of supplemental grant payable per recognised pupil to secondary schools is £50 from the commencement of the school year 1975-76. This represents an increase of 43 per cent over the previous year of £35 and in the circumstances a further increase is not proposed at present.
Would the Minister accept that having regard to the increases which have occurred in respect of all the costs appertaining to those schools what was accepted as being reasonable in 1975-76 could not be so accepted in 1976-77?
I do not think so. If the Deputy is referring to the CPI I should like to tell him that it does not apply to schools at present. The expenses they would incur are different from what is known traditionally as the housewife's basket composed by the CPI. The experience of the Department for the last 12 months has been that the tenders they were getting for school buildings and construction of that type were extremely competitive and were not above the percentage figure which the CPI would indicate they should be.
The Minister will accept that, in respect of the management of these schools, they are at their wits end at present running bazaars and raffles and all classes of functions endeavouring to remain reasonably viable. Surely the Department must accept responsibility in respect of the financial contribution which they make.
That £50 was paid in respect of the school year 1976-77 and at the beginning of that school year. I am willing to have a look at this again in the light of financial circumstances and of evidence given to me that there is a genuine need. The Deputy will appreciate that any Minister must be careful about how he spends public funds and he must be certain that there is a genuine need for the money.
I accept that the CPI is not specifically geared to school costs but their one element is heating which has changed the scene very much in schools from the point of view of expense.
I accept it has gone up since 1975-76 but the huge increase in heating costs was prior to the present increase in grants to schools.
Will the Minister consider indexing?