Sorca Clarke (Longford-Westmeath, Sinn Fein)
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275. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the estimated net savings from withdrawing the annual State subsidy to private schools. [15987/24]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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Gross expenditure on the order of €131 million was incurred by my Department on salaries for teachers and special needs assistants (including employer’s PRSI) in fee-charging schools in the 2022/2023 school year. Capital supports (building-related and ICT grants) are also available to such schools totalling over €0.5 million in 2023. In addition, specific Covid-19 grant funding of €0.9 million was paid to these schools in the financial year 2023 for hand sanitiser and enhanced cleaning.

If the parents of children in the fee-charging sector chose to send their children to the schools in the free education system, 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 financial position. Since it is not possible to predict these patterns of behaviour, it is not possible to calculate any full-year saving if the monetary subsidies from my Department to fee-charging schools were removed.

Sorca Clarke (Longford-Westmeath, Sinn Fein)
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276. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the estimate cost of increasing the minor works grant ceiling by 1%, 5% and 10% respectively, in tabular form. [15988/24]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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The Department recognises the importance of the Minor Works Grant to primary schools. Under Project Ireland 2040, a commitment was given that the Minor Works Grant would be paid in either December or January of the school year to all primary schools, including special schools. In recent years my Department’s approach has been to pay the Minor Works Grant to primary schools in advance of the start of the following school year in order to facilitate a better lead in period for schools to plan any maintenance or minor works during the summer period.

Primary schools need not apply for minor works grant aid.? Under the scheme, funding is made available to all primary schools on the following basis:

€5,500 basic grant plus €18.50 per mainstream pupil and €74 per special needs pupil enrolled in the school on the 30th September of the year prior to the issue of the grant. The grant is paid on an annual basis and the current expenditure across all primary schools amounts to just over €29m. If the current ceiling rate was to increase by the above percentages the increase in expenditure would amount to €290,000, €1.45m and €2.9m respectively.

Between 2018 and 2023 in the region of €310 million in Minor Works Grants and Enhanced Minor Works Grants has been allocated to schools. The Minor Works Grant for the school year 2022/2023 was paid in December 2021 and the Minor Works Grant for the current school year 2023/2024, was paid in April 2023, to all primary schools including special schools.

Schools have the autonomy to use this funding for maintenance and small-scale improvements to school buildings and grounds. Given that each school setting is different, individual schools are best placed to decide how best to use this funding to address their particular needs.

The works that can be undertaken under the Minor Works Grant Scheme include maintenance and small-scale improvements to school buildings and grounds, improvement or replacement of mechanical and electrical services, the purchase of standard furniture and educational equipment, the purchase of floor coverings and window blinds, the purchase of IT related equipment, ventilation improvements, and enhancements to outdoor learning environments

Arrangements are currently being made for the payment of €29 million in Minor Works grants to primary schools and special schools for the forthcoming 2024/25 school year.