Vol. 568 No. 1
167 Ms McManus asked the Minister for Education and Science if it is intended to increase the capitation grants for primary and secondary schools, having regard to the serious financial problems being faced by many schools; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15734/03]
Significant improvements in the levels of capitation funding to schools have been made in recent years. The standard rate of capitation grant for primary schools was substantially increased from €57.14 per pupil in 1997 to €111.58 per pupil in 2003. This represented an increase of 95% in the standard rate of capitation grant at primary level over the period. In addition, the ancillary services grant has been increased from €38.09 – £30 – per pupil in 1999 to €127 per pupil in 2003. Since 1997, significant improvements have been made in the level of funding to voluntary secondary schools. For example, the standard per capita grant in 1997 was €224.74. This has been increased to €266.49 in the current school year. An additional per capita grant of €38.09 is paid to disadvantaged schools bringing the total per capita grant in the case of these schools to over €300. In addition, under the school services support initiative, second level schools have benefited from further significant increases in the support services grant from €25.40 per pupil in the year 2000 to €99 per pupil this school year.
Further improvements also include a range of equalisation measures designed to reduce historic anomalies in the funding arrangements for the different school types at second level. Under the terms of a recent equalisation measure, the support services grant was further increased by €28 per pupil with effect from September 2002. This brought the support services grant in the case of secondary schools to €116.88 per pupil from September 2002 and to €127 per pupil from 1 January 2003. This increase is in addition to the range of equalisation grants of up to €15,554 per school –€44.44 per pupil – per annum approved for secondary schools in December 2001.
Question No. 168 answered with Question No. 142.
