Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 16 June 2026
497. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education and Youth the estimated saving yearly for the abolition of the private school subsidy over five years; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45667/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe most recent annualised gross expenditure incurred by my Department in respect of fee-charging schools was €151.3 million. This comprises €150.7 million in teacher and Special Needs Assistant salary costs for the 2024/25 school year and €0.6 million in capital supports (including building-related and ICT grants) in 2025.
A breakdown of expenditure over the past five years is set out below:
|
School Year / Calendar Year |
2020/21 & 2021 |
2021/22 & 2022 |
2022/23 & 2023 |
2023/24 & 2024 |
2024/25 & 2025 |
|
Gross Teacher & SNA Salary Costs (School Year) |
€120.6m |
€120.8m |
€131.3m |
€142.9m |
€150.7m |
|
Grant Funding (Building, ICT & COVID related) (Calendar Year) |
€4.5m |
€4.4m |
€1.2m |
€1.8m |
€0.6m |
Therefore, on a purely gross basis, the abolition of this funding could imply an annual savings of over €150 million. If this policy change was introduced on a flat rate basis over a five year period, it would result in gross notional savings of approximately €30 million in year one, €60 million in year two, €90 million in year three, €120 million in year four and finally increasing to €150 million in year five.
However, it is not possible to estimate the net savings to the Exchequer with any precision. Because if State funding for fee-charging schools were withdrawn, a proportion of pupils currently attending those schools would be expected to transfer to schools participating in the Free Education Scheme. The State would then be required to fund their education in those schools, including teacher allocations, special education supports and potentially additional capital investment.
It should also be noted that the staffing schedule applicable to fee-charging schools is less favourable than that applied in the free education sector. The current allocation ratio in fee-charging schools is 23:1, compared with 19:1 in schools participating in the Free Education Scheme, meaning that the per-pupil cost to the State in fee-charging schools is lower.
Accordingly, while the gross expenditure provides an indication of the scale of funding involved, the actual savings arising from any abolition of funding for fee-charging schools would depend on behavioural responses by parents and schools, and could be significantly offset by additional costs arising in the free education system.
