Vol. 517 No. 1
202 Mr. Penrose asked the Minister for Education and Science when the report on school funding will be published and implemented; his views on whether the funding of voluntary schools is adequate and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9314/00]
It is anticipated that the report on the funding of second level schools will be published within the next month and it is intended that its recommendations will inform future developments in relation to the funding of schools.
I am aware of the demands for increased funding by voluntary secondary schools. Notwithstanding the many competing demands on budgetary resources, the level of support for voluntary secondary schools has been increased substantially in accordance with the Government's commitment to give education a clear priority in the allocation of resources as set out in the policy document, An Action Programme for the Millennium. The standard per capita grant payable to voluntary secondary schools has been increased to £184 from £177 last year with a further increase of £8 planned for this year. Assistance towards the provision of secretarial services in schools has been increased from £25 per pupil to £30 per pupil thereby increasing the maximum annual grant from £8,750 to £10,500 per eligible school. In addition, these schools have benefited under the IT 2000 initiative. Schools have welcomed these improvements. It is my intention to improve further the financial position of voluntary secondary schools to the extent that the availability of resources permits.
