Vol. 430 No. 4
120 Mr. Callely asked the Minister for Education if she has satisfied herself that the capitation grants to national schools is meeting its requirements; if she has received any submissions indicating that capitation grants are inadequate; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
As the Deputy is aware, the day to day running costs of primary and secondary schools are funded by means of the capitation grant scheme and the contribution from local sources.
It is open to school authorities and parents to raise additional income for schools to supplement the State grants for the provision of equipment and for general running costs. Contributions of this nature should be voluntary on the part of parents and there can be no question of a levy being imposed by the schools.
The capitation grant for primary schools is not intended to meet the operating costs in full. A local contribution equivalent to 25 per cent of the capitation grant must be lodged annually to each school bank account. This contribution must be provided by the parish or other analogous community or body, and there should be no levy on parents of pupils attending the school.
In order to improve the level of support to primary schools I secured an increase of £3.4 million in the 1993 provision for capitation grants. This will enable me to increase the standard rate of grant from £28 to £33 per pupil with pro-rata increases for certain other categories of school, and to initiate further measures to assist those who are most disadvantaged. This is the largest single increase in the level of this grant.
A study of recurrent costs, excluding teachers' pay, for first and second-level schools, is under way to identify a cost per pupil at primary and post-primary level. The future financing of such schools will be reviewed in the light of the study's findings and available resources.
