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Gnáthamharc

Capitation Grants.

Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 27 April 2005

Wednesday, 27 April 2005

Ceisteanna (220, 221)

Olwyn Enright

Ceist:

250 Ms Enright asked the Minister for Education and Science the basic capitation rates for each pupil in the case of secondary, community, comprehensive and vocational schools; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13725/05]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Olwyn Enright

Ceist:

251 Ms Enright asked the Minister for Education and Science the level of support given by her Department for insurance costs at secondary, community, comprehensive and vocational schools; the other supports, excluding building grants, which are available from her Department to each category of school; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13726/05]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí scríofa

I propose to take Questions Nos. 250 and 251 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 vocational education committees as part of a block grant, which also covers the vocational education committee 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.

Responsibility for arranging insurance cover on school property and against public liability is a matter for the managerial authorities of voluntary secondary schools, which are privately owned. Grant aid towards voluntary secondary school funding costs provided by my Department by way of per capita grants may be used for this purpose. In the case of vocational schools and colleges, insurance cover is arranged by the relevant vocational education committee. With regard to community and comprehensive schools, the State provides a general indemnity to the authorities of these schools in lieu of their taking out insurance cover against liabilities which may arise.

There have been significant improvements in the level of funding for voluntary secondary schools. With effect from January last, the standard per capita grant was increased by €12 per pupil and now amounts to €286 per pupil. An additional per capita grant of €38.09 per pupil is paid to disadvantaged schools bringing the total per capita grant in the case of such schools to €324.09. In addition, equalisation funding grants of up to €44.44 per pupil, subject to a cap of €15,554 per secondary school, introduced in 2001 and additional to the per capita grants of some €70 per pupil, subject to a cap of €24,442 per school, introduced in 1992, are provided to voluntary secondary schools.

Secondary schools have also benefited, under the school services support fund initiative, from further significant increases in the support services grant. Under the terms of recent equalisation measures, the support grant has been significantly enhanced and now stands at €145 per pupil from 1 January 2005. Budget allocations for the vocational education committee and community and comprehensive sectors are increased on a pro rata basis with increases in the per capita grant.

All schools are eligible for recurrent per capita grants towards special classes and curricular support grants. Schools in the voluntary secondary, community and comprehensive and vocational sectors are also supported in line with national allocation schedules by the payment of teachers’ salaries.

Question No. 252 answered with QuestionNo. 248.
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