Vol. 484 No. 2
95 Ms O. Mitchell asked the Minister for Education and Science whether a working group has been established with the Department of Finance to bring forward tax reforms to support the development of education; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16681/97]
I have regular contact with the Minister for Finance on all aspects of the funding of education including the role of the tax system in encouraging its development. These contacts are supplemented as necessary by contact at official level.
Yesterday's budget announced a major innovation in the tax treatment of donations to disadvantaged schools. This initiative is aimed at significantly improving the capacity of disadvantaged schools to secure funding, thus putting them on a level playing pitch with schools for whom, traditionally, fund raising has not posed a problem. The details of this scheme will be set out in the forthcoming Finance Bill.
No specific working group has been established for the purposes referred to in the Deputy's question.
