John Lahart
Ceist:1049. Deputy John Lahart asked the Minister for Education the increase in funding over the past three years for both primary and post-primary level; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39822/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraTuesday, 26 July 2022
Ceisteanna (1049)
Freagraí scríofa
Over recent budgets, additional resources have been made available to our schools, including through the delivery of thousands of extra teaching and Special Needs Assistant posts, increased capitation in schools, enhanced supports for school leadership and an improved staffing schedule in primary schools.
In my Department, the gross core allocation for Programme A ‘First, Second, and Early Years Education’ has increased by €1.05 billion (13 percent) between 2019 and 2022 to a total of €9.15 billion in 2022. The 2022 core allocation figure excludes the €138 million allocated for COVID-19 supports to allow for a like-for-like comparison with 2019 allocations before COVID-19.
At primary level, an additional €506 million (14 percent) is being invested to pay school staff and increase per capita grant funding to schools for 2022 over 2019 allocations. At post primary level, an additional €266 million (8 percent) is being invested to pay school staff and increase per capita grant funding to schools for 2022 over 2019 allocations.
In addition to these investments in staffing and grant funding at primary and post-primary levels, there have been significant increases in capital investment in our school infrastructure as well as increased investment in school transport and other services to support the delivery of education in our schools.
Furthermore, since the onset of COVID-19, almost €1 billion in additional funding has been put in place for measures to ensure the continuity of teaching and learning in our schools.