Vol. 518 No. 4
26 Ms Fitzgerald asked the Minister for Education and Science the recommendations on funding of secondary schools which have recently been submitted to him by a review group; and his views on these recommendations. [11857/00]
56 Mr. Broughan asked the Minister for Education and Science when he will publish the report on school funding; his response to the report; and the actions he will take in this regard. [11724/00]
97 Mr. Bradford asked the Minister for Education and Science the decisions, if any, he has made on foot of the report, Funding of Second Level Schools, currently with his Department. [11832/00]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 26, 56 and 97 together.
First, I avail of this opportunity to thank the members of both the steering group and the technical working group and all who assisted the group in preparing its report. I particularly thank Mr. Edward Blackstock who acted as chairperson to both groups. I welcome the report, which represents a comprehensive review of the funding provisions for second level schools, and I commend the group for the clarity of its approach and the quality of the analysis undertaken.
At the core of the recommendations made for future funding arrangements are the principles of equity of treatment, transparency of funding structures and adequacy of funding levels. Deputies will be aware of the historical anomalies that have evolved in the funding arrangements for the different school types at second level. While further work is required to bring greater uniformity and cohesion to this aspect of the funding of schools, my priority is to focus on the issue of adequacy of funding.
In this connection I draw the attention of Members to my recent announcement of the introduction of a school services support fund at second level from next September. My approach in establishing this fund is to address deficiencies in the existing funding structures. Schools will now receive additional annual funding of £20 per pupil, with a minimum payment of £4,000 per school. This fund will channel an additional £7 million to schools each year. The flexibility given to schools under this initiative will be supported by the putting in place of guidelines which will strike the right balance between allowing a reasonable level of discretion and achieving the implementation of national policy priorities. I am fully committed to an equitable and fair funding regime for second level schools and I will continue to prioritise available resources to address the needs of schools.
Will the Minister publish the report so that we can cross-examine him on it rather than on his interpretation of it? If he is committed to equity and adequacy will he conduct surveys of the costs of running and managing second level schools so that the level of grants which he provides will be adequate to meet the costs discovered by those surveys?
Does the Minister think that the £7 million he projects to allocate in this respect is adequate to cover the funding that is required?
The group's report was published on 7 April.
Will the Minister circulate it?
It was published by the HEA, not by me, but I will make sure a copy is provided for the Deputy. The issue is complicated by the fact that different schools, whether comprehensive, voluntary or whatever, have different funding mechanisms. The question of need must be addressed. I will do so and will try to establish the comparisons in order to achieve an equitable basis. Schools have grown out of different traditions and that is why I introduced the school services support fund, which will provide money to schools. This will give them flexibility as it can be used for a variety of reasons. I appreciate the Deputy's point.
The sum of £7 million is substantial at this stage but when all schools are compared there will be many differences, as Deputy Bruton pointed out. The main task is to provide additional funding to meet all the demands. Additional funding has been provided but it will be a major problem for the future.
Written Answers follow Adjournment Debate.
