I would not have time to read it in ten minutes. I am very sorry, but I am no Joe Foyle.
The overall education provision represents an increase of 5.5 per cent and it is now 19 per cent of the total Exchequer provision as compared to 16 per cent in 1986. Capital expenditure is £65.675 million. There are some future Vote transfers between Environment and ourselves, which are explained. They are purely procedural. There is also a revised total sum from the national lottery, which is an increase of over £7 million on the 1989 outturn. My colleague, Deputy Frank Fahey, will speak about that.
Vote No. 26 is for the salaries and expenses of departmental staff and for various educational and cultural activities. Again, there is a difference here from the abridged Estimates because the Minister for Finance announced that national lottery funding would be provided for in separate Votes of Departments. There is a breakdown of that £28.513 million under the headings of grants to youth and sports organisations, grants for provision of recreational facilities, grants for major sports facilities, cultural activities and the Irish language. The recreational facilities area is no longer in the Department of Education but are the responsibility of the Minister for the Environment, Deputy Pádraic Flynn. Deputy Frank Fahey, the Minister for Sport, will speak in more detail about sports facilities.
Computerisation was brought in in 1989, with stage two in 1990; and there will be a further stage of computerisation in 1991. When this is completed it will result in computerised office information systems being developed and implemented on a wide scale throughout the Department.
In regard to international activities, we are involved in the committees for COMMETT, PETRA and LINGUA. The LINGUA programme will be starting next January and was the subject of questions here today which I will put to the committee.
We have made advances in the Department under the heading of gender equity. We have provided £96,000 to provide continued support for a number of different projects.
The NCCA was set up in 1987 as an advisory body to the Minister for Education. This year it got an increase of 23 per cent because of the important work they are doing in regard to the Junior Certificate on sample examination papers, the developmental stage of Phase II, the development of overall policy in regard to the senior cycle and the first phase of syllabus revision.
There are various increases for first level education which we will be able to implement next September and right through the next Programme for National Recovery. The disadvantaged fund has been increased from £0.5 million to £1.5 million in 1990. The distribution of that fund will be announced soon in the schools.
Capitation grants for primary school pupils have been increased by 5.7 per cent this year on top of an increase of 10.4 per cent last year. The grants for free books at primary level were increased this year by 20 per cent. It was 17 per cent last year. Again, it is not enough; but it is making great strides in the face of a very difficult economic situation that we have been able to give increases of this nature. The pilot psychological services have been started and will be monitored in the national schools.
The 1990 allocation for the national school programme will be applied in the first instance to the completion of some 45 building projects which are in the course of construction. The balance will be applied to school buildings in rural areas which need replacement.
There are two educational reviews, one by Moya Quinlan and another by Tom Murphy. There is also the OECD review. Already, in anticipation of having the three on board and disseminating them, I have set up a strategic policy planning unit in the Department. We will be outlining our strategies and ordering our priorities when the three reviews come to hand and this will be a major signpost for the years ahead in primary education.
In regard to the allocation for second level education, nearly 84 per cent of this will be spent on pay and pensions this year. This is quite right because the system is built on the quality of our teachers.
Capitation grants for secondary pupils have been increased by £10 per pupil. I freely admit it is not enough and we hope to again look at that very carefully next year to see what we can do. The allocation for free books at second level has increased by 23 per cent on top of an increase of 20 per cent last year. Every year as we approach autumn there is the hype about school books. Every year, however, since I came into office there has been an increase of 20 per cent on average for both primary and post-primary school books and this in the face of appalling economic circumstances. I do not, however, want to see it increased to increase profits for booksellers and book companies. That is not its purpose. It should be administered carefully and correctly.
The allocation for adult literacy and community education has been doubled. That is not to count the £2.6 million which is spent on it in other areas. I refer to the budgetary allocation, which is increased from £0.5 million to £1 million. The VECs have received extensive guidelines as to how they are to use it. We will be monitoring that and meeting with them again in September.
I will be making announcements in regard to the junior certificate programme fairly soon. Technology was introduced in 62 schools last year in the junior cycle and will be introduced in another 60 schools this year. I hope to phase the subject into all second level schools on a gradual basis until it is on offer to all schools.
The junior certificate programme marks the first phase of curricular reform at second level. Already the NCCA are tackling the senior cycle curriculum. I would like to thank that body and all who serve on it, teachers, non-teachers and so on. They are doing amazing work for Irish education and I am very appreciative of it. The developments of senior cycle include VPT1 and VPT2. There is also the leaving certificate vocational training programme which was introduced last year. So many schools have expressed enthusiasm this year and want to take it up.
Youthreach, too, was the subject of a question here today. There is a need to tackle the root of problems and I will certainly take note of what was said on that matter.
With regard to the post primary school building programme, we are concentrating moneys in three areas: where the relevant school authorities have agreed to the rationalisation; schools in need of accommodation which are the sole providers of educational facilities in their areas; and centres where schools need replacement-extensions to meet long-term projections.
There has been an 11 per cent increase in the Vote for third level and further education over last year's outturn. Legislation in relation to the VEC colleges will be introduced in the autumn. All of the regional colleges and VEC colleges are success stories with so many students seeking to get into them. Over 85 to 90 per cent of students now in those colleges have their fees completely paid and are in receipt of the new European Social Fund grant.
There is £116 million in grants to the Higher Education Authority. We have just appointed the new Authority, which met for the first time on Tuesday last. They have a very good board who will seek to give the best value to the young people who enter that sector. For the first time EC approval was given for some courses in the HEA sector this year. As regards the third level programme, funds are being provided from the Structural Fund and from Government funding.
Under that programme the regional technical college in Tallaght is well under way. New buildings are being erected and improvements made to older ones. In particular we are introducing special programmes which will also allow extra students enter the HEA sector.
Of all the matters we have been able to put in place last year, the one that gives me the greatest encouragement relates to the admission requirements for third level education. A phased programme will be initiated this year with the computerisation of the leaving certificate results. Under this programme the process for young people wishing to enter VEC colleges and higher education colleges will be simplified. A uniform policy regarding a common points entry system for degree level programmes is currently under consideration by university authorities and VEC colleges. The National University of Ireland has decided to abolish the matriculation examination from 1993 onwards. From 1992 onwards, pupils can repeat the leaving certificate as many times as they like, but only one result will be taken into account for entry to third level education. All of those measures are widely welcomed. I got great co-operation from VECs, universities and all the officials concerned who realise the need for these changes. As regards the measures which were implemented under the Irish Presidency, I was able to expand on that matter in answer to a question here earlier.