Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 3 July 2018
187. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Education and Skills if the level of grant aid received by primary schools will be increased; and if assurances regarding the payment of the minor works grant to schools and the annual timing of the payment will be provided (details supplied). [29204/18]
View answerI recognise the need to improve capitation funding for schools, having regard to the reductions that were necessary over recent years.
Restoring capitation funding as resources permit is one of the actions included in the Action Plan for Education.
Budget 2018 marked the second year of major reinvestment in the education sector, as we continue to implement the Action Plan for Education, which has the central aim to make the Irish Education and Training service the best in Europe within a decade. In 2018, the budget for the Department of Education increased by €554 million to over €10 billion. Through budget 2017 and Budget 2018, we are now investing €1 billion more in education.
The process is underway for restoring grant funding that is used by schools to fund the salaries of ancillary staff. The ancillary grant was increased by €6 in 2016, €5 in 2017 and €5 in 2018, in order to enable primary schools to implement the arbitration salary increase for grant funded school secretaries and caretakers and to also implement the restoration of salary for cleaners arising from the unwinding of FEMPI legislation.
The Minor Works Grant was introduced in 1997 and since then has issued to primary schools each school year with the exception of the 2012/2013 school year. The payment of the Minor Works Grant is not confined to any particular date and can be issued during any month of the school year. For the 2002/2003 school year, part of the grant was paid in May 2003, with the balance in October 2003. The grant in respect of the 2017/2018 school year issued in December 2017.
It is intended that the Minor Works Grant in respect of the 2018/2019 school year will issue no later than January 2019.
The rates payable under the Minor Works Grant are €5,500 per school plus €18.50 per mainstream pupil and €74 per special needs pupil attending a special school or a special class. I wish to confirm that the rates of the Minor Works Grant were not reduced in recent years.
My Department recognises the importance of the Minor Works Grant to primary schools. The National Development Plan 2018-2027 signals a gradual ramping up in capital expenditure in the schools sector over the coming years. In that context, and as part of our longer term infrastructural planning, my Department would intend to put the Minor Works Grant on an annual footing and to provide greater certainty to schools on the timing of payments.
