Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 21 January 2026
104. Deputy Cathy Bennett asked the Minister for Education and Youth if there is a contingency fund available for schools whose enrolment increases by more than 20% within a single academic year in relation the Capitation Grant; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [4629/26]
View answer105. Deputy Cathy Bennett asked the Minister for Education and Youth the reason schools are paid capitation on the previous enrolment from 18 months ago (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [4630/26]
View answer106. Deputy Cathy Bennett asked the Minister for Education and Youth if her Department will expedite the transition to September 2025 enrolment figures for a school (details supplied) to immediately prevent a deficit; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [4631/26]
View answer111. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Education and Youth to review correspondence (details supplied); if she will address the funding concerns outlined; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [4722/26]
View answer113. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Education and Youth if consideration will be given to the request for changes to the system of calculating capitation payments in respect of primary schools with particular reference to increased enrolments as outlined in correspondence (details supplied) highlighting the pressures on a school with a considerable increase in enrolment and no additional capitation for that cohort of pupils; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [4749/26]
View answer114. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Education and Youth the proposals, if any, she has to amend the system for calculating capitation payments, taking into account the additional pressures on schools where there have been increases in enrolments but no additional payments; if she accepts that the present system needs to be updated considering population increase and population movement; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [4751/26]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 104, 105, 106, 111, 113 and 114 together.
The Government is committed to increasing funding to support schools and the Programme for Government commits to increasing capitation funding to schools of all types to ensure that schools can meet the elevated day-to-day running costs.
The commitment in the Programme for Government builds on the progress which has been made in recent years. The Department has secured €39 million in Budget 2026 towards increased capitation funding for primary, post-primary and special schools to provide additional financial support towards their running costs. This will see an increase in the standard capitation rates paid to schools of €50 per pupil for primary schools from €224 to €274 and of €20 per student for post-primary schools from €386 to €406. This will also allow for an increase of €20 in capitation rates for Urban Band One DEIS primary schools, increasing the mainstream pupil rate in these schools to €294. The increased capitation rates will also see special schools now receive the same rates of mainstream capitation, for young people aged 12 and over, as for their peers in mainstream post-primary schools. These increases will take effect from September 2026. This funding will benefit schools around the country in managing their day-to-day running costs.
The increases announced in Budget 2026 are in addition to the 12% increases as part of Budget 2025. The last three Budgets have resulted in an increase in the level of capitation grant rates of 49.7% (€91) paid to primary schools and 28.5% (€90) paid to post-primary schools.
The Department is committed to providing funding to recognised primary and post-primary schools in the Free Education Scheme by way of per capita grants. The two main grants are the capitation grant to cater for day-to-day running costs such as heating, lighting, cleaning, insurance and general up-keep, and the ancillary grant to cater for the cost of employing ancillary services staff. Schools have the flexibility to use capitation funding provided for general running costs and ancillary funding provided for caretaking and secretarial services as a common grant from which the Board of Management can allocate according to its own priorities, except for the employment of relevant secretaries as per Circular 0036/2022.
The current standard rate of capitation grant is €224 per pupil in primary schools and €386 per student in post-primary schools. Primary schools with fewer than 60 pupils are paid the capitation and the ancillary grants on the basis of having 60 pupils. Enhanced rates are also paid in respect of pupils with special educational needs and Traveller pupils.
For primary and special schools capitation grant the first instalment in January is based on 70% of the previous school year’s enrolments. The second instalment in June is calculated using the current school year’s enrolments in order to determine the overall grant entitlement for the year. This is then reduced by the value of the first instalment paid in January.
For example, for the 2024/25 school year 70% of the capitation grant was paid in January 2025 using the published enrolments from September 2023. Then the balancing payment was paid in June 2025, using September 2024 enrolments, which calculated the overall grant entitlement for the year 2024/25, and then reduced this by the value of the first instalment paid in January 2025. Therefore, the capitation grant for the 2024/25 school year is based on the current school year’s published enrolments.
Schools in financial difficulty are encouraged to contact the Department for advice and support. The Department is committed to offering all available and appropriate supports to schools, which may include an advance in capitation grant funding or other measures.
The Department is constantly engaging with a number of schools in this respect. Schools that have contacted the Department have been referred to the FSSU. Officials from the Department will make contact with the relevant schools. We encourage these schools to engage with the FSSU, and the school’s Patron, in order to work to rectify the financial challenges at the school.
