Tánaiste outlines contribution of education and skills sector to National Recovery Plan [education.ie]
- Published: 24 November 2010
Outlining the expenditure measures for her Department contained in the National Recovery Plan, the Tánaiste and Minister for Education and Skills, Ms. Mary Coughlan, T.D., today said that Government had gone as far as it could to protect front line education services over the four years of the plan. She said that while difficult choices had to be made to identify savings across her Department's remit, the Government recognised the critical importance of the education and skills sector as the engine of Ireland's recovery and future prospects. She warned however that the sector must embrace radical reform, dust off the status-quo, and ensure continually better outcomes for such a large commitment from the taxpayer.
The four-year National Recovery Plan shows that the gross allocation,including funding from the National Training Fund, for the Department of Education and Skills for 2011 will be €9.692 billion. The gross overall allocations for the years 2012, 2013 and 2014 are set at €9.480 billion, €9.413 billion and €9.343 billion respectively.
The 2011 allocation for current expenditure will be €9.20 billion while the allocation for capital expenditure will be €492 million. The education measures in the plan account for current expenditure savings next year of some €182 million. Allocations from the National Training Fund will also be reduced and will require more efficient use of resources for training and employment programmes. The 2011 allocation for the Department represents a reduction of €229 million over the equivalent allocation for 2010,the difference arising mainly in relation to capital expenditure. When account is taken of further savings to be secured over the period 2012-2014, the education and skills area will contribute total current savings of some €690 million by the end of 2014.
"While achieving savings in the education and skills budget is never without difficulty, this is particularly so at a time of growing demographics in our schools and increased demand on our education and skills services. It is clear however that in the context of the unprecedented level of expenditure saving required over the four year period of the National Recovery Plan, this Government has chosen to go as far as it can to protect front line education services. Given that determination by the Government, what we need now is a clear commitment from all partners in the sector to embrace reform, to challenge the status-quo and to ensure greater output and better outcomes for the taxpayers' investment."
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