Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 26 January 2005
811 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Minister for Education and Science the current rate of capitation payments to voluntary secondary schools; and if he will compare this to the rate payable for students in schools operating under the VEC system. [34213/04]
View answer1101 Mr. Costello asked the Minister for Education and Science the capitation grant for both a VEC and a voluntary secondary school for each of the years 2000-2005; the difference for each year since the differential policy began; the reason the capitation grant to the voluntary sector exceeds that to the VEC sector; if she intends to retain the present capitation differential between the two sectors or restore parity; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1246/05]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 811 and 1101 together.
As the Deputies will be aware differing funding arrangements have evolved for the different school types at second level. At the core of all arrangements is a reliance upon capitation as the principle determinant of funding. There are however significant differences in the approaches to the funding of back-up services such as for secretaries and caretakers.
Voluntary secondary schools, in the free education scheme, which are privately owned and managed, are funded by way of per capita grants towards recurrent costs, with additional financial assistance towards services such as care taking and secretarial. Financial allocations for vocational schools and community colleges are made to the VECs as part of a block grant that in addition to specific provision for teacher, clerical-administrative and maintenance staffing pay costs also covers VEC overheads and other activities other than the second level programme. As VECs are given a high level of autonomy in the management and appropriation of their budgets, I am not in a position to provide details of funding allocated by VECs to its schools in the VEC sector on a per capita basis as requested by the Deputies.
There have been significant improvements in the level of funding for schools. The standard per capita grant which stood at €233.60 per pupil in September 1999, was increased to €233.60 per pupil in September 2000, to €256.50 per pupil in September 2001, to €266 per pupil in September 2002, to €274 per pupil in January 2004, and has been increased by a further €12 to €286 per pupil from 1 January 2005. In addition, schools have also benefited significantly by the introduction of grants in September 2000 under the school services support initiative. The initial grant of €25 per pupil was increased to €63.49 per pupil in September 2001, to €88.88 per pupil in September 2002, to €99 per pupil in January 2003 and has been increased by a further €4 to €103 per pupil from 1 January 2005. VECs have benefited in their overall budgets from equivalent funding increases.
Funding for voluntary secondary schools has been further enhanced by the introduction of a range of equalisation measures designed to reduce the historic anomalies in the funding arrangements between secondary schools and the other second level school sectors. Under the schools services support initiative, secondary schools have benefited from further significant increases that have brought the grant in the case of such schools to €131 per pupil from 1 January 2004 and to €145 from 1 January 2005. These increases are in addition to the range of equalisation grants of up to €15,554 per school or, €44.44 per pupil, per annum that was approved for secondary schools in December 2001. As the funding provided under the schools support services fund is flexible, schools are permitted discretion as to the manner in which support services are provided. In particular it allows schools experiencing difficulties in the provision of secretarial, care taking and maintenance services to make an impact in those areas.
I am committed to improving further the funding position of secondary schools in the light of available resources and to address the issue of equity highlighted by the voluntary school sector.
