Vol. 495 No. 6
1 Mr. R. Bruton asked the Minister for Education and Science the plans, if any, he has over the next three years to increase the teaching resource in primary education beyond that released each year by falling population; and if he has set a target level for the primary capitation grant for three years hence. [20904/98]
The Deputy will be aware that An Action Programme for the Millennium contains a commitment to give primary education a clear priority in the allocation of resources. I can assure the Deputy that, in the context of the 1999 Estimates, the Minister for Education and Science is currently examining a range of options with a view to identifying the most appropriate ways to fulfil this commitment.
The most valuable resource within the primary education system is the cohort of teachers who work within the system. The Minister is aware that in recent years, boards of management have had difficulties in securing the services of trained teachers. Accordingly, since coming into office last year, he immediately focused attention on this pressing problem. The Minister implemented a broad range of measures to increase the supply of fully trained teachers, including significantly increasing the intake into the colleges of education. This year alone, he ensured that over 1,000 places were available in the colleges of education. He intends to maintain this high intake level over the next few years.
In addition, the Minister has decided that from 1 September 1998, all primary degree holders who also hold the higher diploma in education will be recognised as fully trained for the purposes of providing substitution service provided they have Irish to grade C at higher level leaving certificate standard or its equivalent. He is determined to ensure that the demographic dividend arising over the next three years is retained in full in order that the pupil teacher ratio may be still further reduced. He is especially anxious to divert resources towards pupils with special needs to ensure that special needs pupils may fully benefit from the educational system.
Any requirement for resources over and above that released from the dividend will be pursued with my colleague, the Minister for Finance. As regards the level of capitation funding, the Government's commitment in this regard was clearly reflected in the 1998 Estimates, which provided for an overall increase of almost 12 per cent in expenditure on primary education. In this context, the 11 per cent increase in the standard rate of capitation grant represented an important step forward in the process of improving funding of the primary sector.
Does the Minister accept that the demographic dividend is rapidly diminishing? According to figures published by the Department, in three years' time only 35 teachers will be released by the demographic dividend. Against that background, does he accept he cannot give priority to primary education resources and deliver his promise without significant additional teaching resources over the demographic dividend in the next three years?
I do not accept the Deputy's suggestion. The figures available to me indicate otherwise. I can let the Deputy have them if he so wishes.
I have the figures in a reply to a parliamentary question.
The information available to me is that the number of teachers released by the demographic dividend this year will exceed what was released last year. The Department is obviously committed to benefiting from the demographic dividend over the next three years but we do not accept that is sufficient. If we thought it were, we would not be negotiating with the Minister for Finance for additional resources to take on extra teachers.
Does the Minister accept that in the first year in which he and his Department were supposedly delivering this commitment to primary education, not one single teacher over and above the demographic dividend was provided to the primary sector? Does he accept that 12 per cent of children are in classes of more than 35, in excess of the Department's guidelines? How can he say that reflects a priority to primary education?
Deputy Bruton will have to accept that this Government increased funding for the primary sector by 12 per cent in its first year in office.
The Minister of State should answer the questions he is asked, not spurious ones of his own.
That increased funding reflects the Government's commitment in this area more clearly than anything I could say here today. The initiative of retaining the demographic dividend was introduced by Fianna Fáil and has yielded tremendous results. The action taken by this Government during its 15 months in office compares extremely favourably to what its predecessors did. That improvement, which is reflected in the figures allocated to primary education last year, will continue. The Minister and I are fully committed in that regard.
Does the Minister agree that the increase in the allocation of resources to third level amounts to twice the percentage increase to primary level when one includes capital and current funding? Will he acknowledge that, contrary to what he has said, the primary education sector did better under the previous regime than it has done under his Government in 1998?
Question 1 relates to the primary sector. If Deputy Bruton wants to ask a question about this Government's commitment to the third level sector, I would be delighted to deal with it.
I am merely illustrating the Government's lack of priority to the primary sector.
The Deputy is defeated by the facts which are that this Government increased primary funding last year by a full 12 per cent——
The capitation grant had risen by £12 prior to that increase.
I could point to the fact that the Deputy's Government froze the capitation grant. I am looking at the sector as a whole and it has benefited significantly in real terms from the conscious investment by this Government in fulfilment of its commitment to concentrate resources on the primary sector.
Tell that to the INTO.
If the facts do not suit Deputy Bruton, that is not my problem.
