Vol. 426 No. 5
355 Mr. Noonan (Limerick East) asked the Minister for Education the policy changes, if any, which underpin the increases or decreases in the subheads in Votes controlled by her Department; and if she will make a statement on whether increased or reduced services will be provided by her Department in 1993.
The 1993 gross provision of nearly £1,784 million for education in the recently published Abridged Estimates Volume represents an increase of almost £137 million or 8.3 per cent on the 1992 outturn. This increase indicates a strong Government commitment to education and has been spread as equitably as possible over the three different education levels.
The increase will enable me to address my major priority as the Minister for Education viz. combating disadvantage in the Education system. The 1993 provision will enable me to target additional resources to help those suffering most from disadvantage. This includes additional capital funding to upgrade school buildings and ensure that the physical conditions in which children are taught are improved as a matter of priority.
The other main areas that will benefit from the increased resources available in 1993 are reform of the curriculum, third level student support, primary management bodies, publications in Irish, youth and sports organisations and marketing Ireland as an international education centre.
