Vol. 520 No. 5
34 Ms Fitzgerald asked the Minister for Education and Science the extent to which his allocation of £20 per pupil meets the shortfall in funding of secondary voluntary schools; and the plans if any he has to adopt other recommendations in the recent report on this matter. [16151/00]
I am satisfied that my recent announcement of the introduction of a school services support fund at second level from next September is a significant initiative in the funding of our schools. 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 £4 million to voluntary secondary 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. In addition, the schools will benefit from a further increase in the standard per capita grant. The grant was increased to £184 from £177 last year with a further increase of £8 planned for this year. Schools have welcomed these improvements.
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. I assure the Deputy that the recommendations of the report on the funding of second level schools will inform such funding.
