Kathleen Funchion
Ceist:378. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Education and Skills the estimated full year net saving of withdrawing the annual subsidy to private schools. [31680/19]
Amharc ar fhreagraDáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 23 July 2019
378. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Education and Skills the estimated full year net saving of withdrawing the annual subsidy to private schools. [31680/19]
Amharc ar fhreagraGross expenditure on the order of over €91 million was incurred in 2018 on salaries for teachers (including employer’s PRSI). My Department is collating the capital expenditure figures and I will forward them to the Deputy when ready.
If the parents of children in the fee charging sector chose to send their children to the non-fee-paying sector, the State would have to fund those school places. In this respect, the figures quoted relate to the gross cost of fee charging schools and not the net cost. Since it is not possible to predict these patterns of behaviour it is not possible to calculate the net saving. It would, however, be significantly less than the gross figures.