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Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 20 May 2003

Vol. 567 No. 1

Written Answers. - Schools Funding.

Olwyn Enright

Ceist:

271 Ms Enright asked the Minister for Education and Science the reason the level of funding for schools in the voluntary secondary sector is of a lesser level than other secondary level sectors; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13860/03]

Olwyn Enright

Ceist:

272 Ms Enright asked the Minister for Education and Science if he intends to improve the level of funding for schools in the voluntary secondary sector to ensure that they are in receipt of equitable funding. [13861/03]

I propose to take Questions Nos. 271 and 272 together.

The funding arrangements made by my Department for second level schools reflect the different management and ownership arrangements for vocational schools and community colleges, comprehensive and community schools and voluntary secondary schools.

At the core of funding arrangements at second level is reliance upon capitation as the principal determinant of funding. Voluntary secondary schools are funded on a per capita grant basis. Financial allocations for vocational schools and community colleges are made to the vocational education committees as part of a block grant, which also covers the VEC head office overheads and other activities apart from the second-level programme. Community and comprehensive schools are funded on a budget basis. Schools have considerable discretion as to how this funding is best utilised in the interests of their pupils and schools.

Significant improvements have also been made in the level of funding to secondary schools. The standard per capita grant from €224.74 that applied in 1997, was increased to €256.49 in September 2001, and was further increased to €266.49 in September 2002. An additional per capita grant of €38.09 is paid to disadvantaged schools bringing the total per capita grant in the case of such schools to over €300.

In addition, under the school services support initiative, secondary schools have benefited from further significant increases in the support grant from €25.40 per pupil in 2000 to €88.88 from September 2002 and to €99 per pupil from 1 January 2003.

Funding for voluntary secondary schools has been further enhanced by the introduction of a range of equalisation measures that are designed to reduce the historic anomalies in the funding arrangements for the different school types at second level. Under the terms of recent equalisation measures, the support services grant was increased by €28 per pupil with effect from September 2002. This brings the support services grant in the case of voluntary secondary schools to €116.88 per pupil from September 2002 and to €127 per pupil from 1 January 2003. This increase is in addition to the range of equalisation grants of up to €15,554 per school, €44.44 per pupil, per annum that was approved for secondary schools in December 2001.
For a voluntary secondary school with 500 pupils, this amounts to extra funding of up to €100,000 per annum, and annual grants of up to €236,761 –€255,811 in the case of disadvantaged schools – towards general expenses and support services.
Schools have welcomed these improvements. It is my intention to further improve the financial position of secondary schools to the extent that the availability of resources permits.
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