Léim ar aghaidh chuig an bpríomhábhar
Gnáthamharc

Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Thursday, 11 Feb 1988

Vol. 377 No. 8

Written Answers. - Primary Schools Entry Age.

62.

asked the Minister for Education (a) whether her Department have, this year, made calculations of possible Exchequer savings in each of the next number of years, by virtue of increasing minimum age of entry to primary schools and (b) if so, the details of such savings and changes.

The proposals to increase the age of entry to national schools was one of a range of options examined in the context of the Government's budgetary strategy for 1988. It was estimated that changing the age of entry from four to five years with effect from 1 January 1988 would result in savings of approximately £200,000 in 1988 and approximately £19,000,000 in a full year. This would be achieved thorugh a reduction in teacher numbers of approximately 1,300 through a combination of redundancy and redeployment measures.

The figures quoted represent savings for payroll costs only and do not take into account the cost of awards under the terms of the voluntary redundancy/early retirement scheme.

Barr
Roinn