Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 11 November 2008
620 Deputy Paul Connaughton asked the Minister for Education and Science the effect the Budget 2009 cutbacks will have on a school (details supplied) in County Galway; if any teaching posts will be lost at this school; the other financial cutbacks which will affect the smooth running of this school; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39680/08]
View answer621 Deputy Paul Connaughton asked the Minister for Education and Science the effect the Budget 2009 cutbacks will have on a school (details supplied) in County Galway; if any teaching posts will be lost at this school; the other financial cutbacks which will affect the smooth running of this school; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39681/08]
View answer622 Deputy Paul Connaughton asked the Minister for Education and Science the effect the Budget 2009 cutbacks will have on a school (details supplied) in County Galway; if any teaching posts will be lost at this school; the other financial cutbacks which will affect the smooth running of this school; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39682/08]
View answer623 Deputy Paul Connaughton asked the Minister for Education and Science the effect the Budget 2009 cutbacks will have on a school (details supplied) in County Galway; if any teaching posts will be lost at this school; the other financial cutbacks which will affect the smooth running of this school; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39683/08]
View answer624 Deputy Paul Connaughton asked the Minister for Education and Science the effect the Budget 2009 cutbacks will have on a school (details supplied) in County Galway; if any teaching posts will be lost at this school; the other financial cutbacks which will affect the smooth running of this school; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39684/08]
View answer625 Deputy Paul Connaughton asked the Minister for Education and Science the effect the Budget 2009 cutbacks will have on a school (details supplied) in County Galway; if any teaching posts will be lost at this school; the other financial cutbacks which will affect the smooth running of this school; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39685/08]
View answer626 Deputy Paul Connaughton asked the Minister for Education and Science the effect the Budget 2009 cutbacks will have on a school (details supplied) in County Galway; if any teaching posts will be lost at this school; the other financial cutbacks which will affect the smooth running of this school; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39686/08]
View answer627 Deputy Paul Connaughton asked the Minister for Education and Science the effect the Budget 2009 cutbacks will have on a school (details supplied) in County Galway; if any teaching posts will be lost at this school; the other financial cutbacks which will affect the smooth running of this school; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39687/08]
View answer628 Deputy Paul Connaughton asked the Minister for Education and Science the effect the Budget 2009 cutbacks will have on a school (details supplied) in County Galway; if any teaching posts will be lost at this school; the other financial cutbacks which will affect the smooth running of this school; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39688/08]
View answer629 Deputy Paul Connaughton asked the Minister for Education and Science the effect the Budget 2009 cutbacks will have on a school (details supplied) in County Galway; if any teaching posts will be lost at this school; the other financial cutbacks which will affect the smooth running of this school; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39689/08]
View answer630 Deputy Paul Connaughton asked the Minister for Education and Science the effect the Budget 2009 cutbacks will have on a school (details supplied) in County Galway; if any teaching posts will be lost at this school; the other financial cutbacks which will affect the smooth running of this school; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39690/08]
View answer631 Deputy Paul Connaughton asked the Minister for Education and Science the effect the Budget 2009 cutbacks will have on a school (details supplied) in County Galway; if any teaching posts will be lost at this school; the other financial cutbacks which will affect the smooth running of this school; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39691/08]
View answer632 Deputy Paul Connaughton asked the Minister for Education and Science the effect the Budget 2009 cutbacks will have on a school (details supplied) in County Galway; if any teaching posts will be lost at this school; the other financial cutbacks which will affect the smooth running of this school; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39692/08]
View answer633 Deputy Paul Connaughton asked the Minister for Education and Science the effect the Budget 2009 cutbacks will have on a school (details supplied) in County Galway; if any teaching posts will be lost at this school; the other financial cutbacks which will affect the smooth running of this school; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39693/08]
View answer634 Deputy Paul Connaughton asked the Minister for Education and Science the effect the Budget 2009 cutbacks will have on a school (details supplied) in County Galway; if any teaching posts will be lost at this school; the other financial cutbacks which will affect the smooth running of this school; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39694/08]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 620 to 634, inclusive, together.
The 2009 Budget required difficult choices to be made across all areas of public expenditure. Decisions were made in order to control expenditure and to ensure sustainability in the long term. In this respect Education, while protected to a much greater extent than most other areas of public expenditure, could not be entirely spared. I acknowledge the impact of funding restrictions in a number of areas, including at school level. However, these are the inevitable result of the challenging economic environment and the need to manage Exchequer resources prudently.
Specific information in relation to the detailed staffing allocations that individual schools will have for the commencement of the academic year 2009/10 cannot be determined until the allocation processes have fully concluded. There is nothing exceptional in this. The allocation processes include appellate mechanisms under which schools can appeal against the allocation due to them under the staffing schedules.
This is particularly relevant at post-primary level where the appellate process considers in particular any specific curricular needs of the school concerned. At post-primary, there is no effective system wide redeployment scheme at present, and this can mean that schools retain teachers, though over quota, and in addition discrete allocations are made to post-primary schools for example to cater for pupils with Special Educational Needs and those with Language difficulties. These allocations can also alter the ultimate position of the school in relation to any over quota position.
Schools are currently returning data to my Department in relation to their enrolment as of 30 September. My Department has commenced processing this data although all schools have not yet made their returns.
The allocation processes, including notification to schools, will commence early in the New Year.
The positions of individual schools, including those referred to by the Deputy, will not be known until the staffing and budgetary allocations are finalised in the New Year.
635 Deputy Finian McGrath asked the Minister for Education and Science if he will support a school (details supplied) in Dublin 9. [39697/08]
View answerThe 2009 Budget required difficult choices to be made across all areas of public expenditure. Decisions were made in order to control expenditure and to ensure sustainability in the long term. In this respect Education, while protected to a much greater extent than most other areas of public expenditure, could not be entirely spared, and I acknowledge the impact of funding restrictions in a number of areas, including at school level. However, these are the inevitable result of the challenging economic environment and the need to manage Exchequer resources prudently.
Specific information in relation to the detailed staffing allocations that individual schools will have for the commencement of the academic year 2009/10 cannot be determined until the allocation processes have fully concluded. There is nothing exceptional in this. The allocation processes include appellate mechanisms under which schools can appeal against the allocation due to them under the staffing schedules. This is particularly relevant at post-primary level where the appellate process considers in particular any specific curricular needs of the school concerned. At post-primary there is no effective system wide redeployment scheme at present and this can mean that schools retain teachers, though over quota, and, in addition, discrete allocations are made to post-primary schools, for example, to cater for pupils with Special Educational Needs and those with Language difficulties, and these allocations can also alter the ultimate position of the school in relation to any over quota position.
Schools are currently returning data to my Department in relation to their enrolment as of 30 September. My Department has commenced processing this data although all schools have not yet made their returns. The allocation processes including notification to schools will commence early in the New Year.
