Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 17 October 2023
3. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Education to provide a breakdown of the budget 2024 allocation of €7 million in additional capitation grants for schools; and detail the analysis that was undertaken by her Department regarding sufficiency of this amount. [45121/23]
View answerWill the Minister provide a breakdown of the budget 2024 allocation of €7 million in additional capitation grants for schools and detail the analysis undertaken by her Department regarding the sufficiency of this amount?
I am very pleased to have secured €10.5 billion in total funding for the education budget of 2024. This significant increase in funding ensures that the total budget is at the highest ever for our primary and post-primary schools. The funding will ensure continued reduced costs for families, it will continue to tackle disadvantage, and it will provide further supports to safeguard inclusive education for all school communities.
This year’s budget will provide targeted funding for school communities with an increase in cost-of-living and capitation funding of more than €81 million. The current standard rate of capitation, excluding once-off measures provided, is €183 per pupil at primary level. At post-primary, the rate is €316 per student for voluntary secondary schools. The standard capitation rates are different for community and comprehensive schools as well as those in the education and training board, ETB, sector, as these schools are funded via non-pay budget grants from the Department.
As part of the cost-of-living and capitation funding package in budget 2024, I am pleased to have secured €21 million as a permanent increase in capitation funding to assist schools now and in the longer term with increased day-to-day running costs. The first-year 2024 cost of this is €7 million, as the Deputy referenced, but the full-year cost in 2025 is €21 million which, combined with €60 million in cost-of-living funding, brings the total to €81 million. This will support a permanent restoration of funding for all primary and post-primary schools from September 2024. This will bring the basic rate of capitation to €200 per student in primary schools and to €345 in voluntary secondary schools. Enhanced rates will also be paid in respect of pupils with special educational needs. This represents an increase of approximately 9.2% of current standard and enhanced capitation rates.
In addition to the €21 million in the permanent base, I also secured, as I said, €60 million as part of the cost-of-living measures. All recognised primary and post-primary schools in the free education scheme will benefit from this additional capitation funding, which will be paid at an average rate of €49 per pupil at primary level and €75 at post-primary level. Enhanced rates will also be paid in respect of pupils with special educational needs.
Schools also receive an ancillary services grant. The standard rate is €173 per pupil in primary schools and €224.50 per student in post-primary schools.
Does the Minister acknowledge and understand the level of dismay with which this announcement was received by those who are charged with delivering education through our school system? The €60 million she referenced is not a permanent measure; it is a once-off measure. Relying on once-off measures of a precarious nature, and precarious funding, is categorically not what teachers' unions, teachers and principals asked for as part of budget 2024. One email sent to me by a principal last week stated that it is effectively a 10% cut in capitation. Others said to me that their schools are experiencing profound financial hardship.
The funding of education was the big issue of budget 2024 for countless people because they wanted to see funding put on a permanent footing that would ensure our education system was funded to an adequate amount, ending the myth that we have free education and ensuring that it is actually free. The temporary measures the Minister announced do nothing to address the supersized classes we have in some parts of the country.
I once again confirm for the Deputy's information that it is a budget of €10.5 billion and €81 million is being expended on capitation, €21 million of which is in the core as a permanent measure that will support a permanent restoration of funding for all primary and post-primary schools from September 2024. The additional €60 million investment is a cost-of-living investment. By "permanent measure", we now mean that the basic rate at primary schools will be €200 and €345 at post-primary level. However, there will be an additional €49 at primary and an additional €75 at post-primary.
Other grants are also available to schools, including the ancillary services grant, as I mentioned, which is €173 per child at primary school land €224.50 at post-primary. This is a significant uplift for schools, which is in excess of €81 million.
Of that €81 million, the amount of temporary funding is three times as much as the permanent funding. It is no secret and will come as no surprise to anybody that schools as much as households are struggling with their energy and electricity bills. Schools are telling me that where they may want to end the practice of being reliant on fund-raising and voluntary contributions, and the vast majority of them do, that budget 2024 does not put them in a position where they will be able to do that. They will still struggle to pay the heating, lighting and water bills.
We must remember that the underfunding of schools does not just have financial implications. It has socioeconomic implications too because in communities where parents are least able to put in those voluntary contributions, those schools will end up in a very difficult decision-making position, which no school wants to be in, as to what they can and cannot provide to their students. It effectively comes down to what the parents in that area are able to pay. There is enormous pressure on parents, which the Minister has acknowledged, to pay these contributions.
We have spoken about this before.
We are way over time, Deputy.
Everybody wants to see those ended but it means proper resourcing for schools.
In the first instance, €81 million is a significant uplift to schools, €21 million of which is a permanent measure. It is interesting to note that the Deputy's own party was offering something around €40 million in terms of capitation-----
Additional, from January.
We have actually more than doubled that-----
Permanent.
Sinn Féin offered €40 million-----
Permanent.
-----we have offered €81 million to the schools and that is a significant provision for schools, because €21 million of it will ensure there will be support and it will bring it up to a permanent restoration of funding for all primary and post-primary schools from September 2024. The Deputy referenced schools that have particular issues around disadvantage. More than €180 million is being made available through the DEIS programme to our schools and one in four of our students are benefitting from the DEIS supports in our schools. Equally so, just to acknowledge, where any school has an individual issue we have a financial services support unit in the Department. We invite schools to engage with the unit on a one-to-one basis and we will work through any specific or individual issues a school might have.
