Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 13 Dec 1995

Vol. 459 No. 7

Written Answers. - Grants to Fee-paying Schools.

Kathleen Lynch

Question:

21 Kathleen Lynch asked the Minister for Education the number of fee-paying schools that received grants from her Department in the most recent year for which figures are available; the average amount granted per school; the total amount spent by her Department for such grants in that year; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18792/95]

Minister for Education (Ms Bhreathnach)

Twenty-three fee charging schools, all of which are Protestant, received a block grant of £2.8 million in respect of the year 1995. This grant is paid to the secondary education committee for distribution among needier Protestant children to enable them to attend a Protestant school. It averages at about £122,000 per school.

In addition, fee charging Protestant schools may qualify for grants in respect of a range of expenditures such as secretaries-caretakers, transition year and school books. The total allocation of such grants to these schools, for the school year 1994-95, was £336,000 — an average of £14,600 per school. The total allocation in respect of these grants for the second level sector was £8.5 million.

The total annual amount paid in respect of salaries and allowances of teachers in fee-charging schools is approximately £28 million. Of this, approximately £10.5 million is accounted for by the salaries of teachers in Protestant schools. The total teacher pay bill at second level is of the order of £584 million.

Applications for capital grants by fee-paying schools are infrequent and do not give rise to a significant charge on capital resources. In 1995, a capital grant of £580,000 was approved for one Protestant fee-paying second level school in respect of an extension. A payment of £129,407 has been made in 1995 in respect of the project. The balance will be paid in 1996.