Quinn faces backlash over cuts to education

Education Minister Ruairi Quinn is braced for an angry backlash from backbench TDs over a list of possible cuts drawn up by his department ahead of October’s budget.

Closing small schools, cutting student grants, and increasing the number of pupils per teacher are among the options being considered under plans to slash at least €100m from education spending.

An internal document outlining a menu of 75 potential cuts was leaked over the weekend. Among the measures included were:

* Increasing the pupil- teacher ratio by one extra child per class in primary, secondary, and fee-paying schools to save €80m;

* Cutting capitation grants — used for the general running of schools — to save €3.5m;

* Changing rules around smaller schools, including the closure of some, saving €7m;

* Cutting third-level funding by 1%, saving €11.8m;

* An across-the-board cut to the college grant, worth around €3,000 a year to students;

* Abolishing the school book funding, saving €13m.

Fine Gael backbenchers — who are already in conflict with the minister — are strongly opposed to proposals to include farm and business assets in assessments for college grants.

One of them said last night that “grave concerns” still remain about such a plan which would be resisted.

Galway East TD Paul Connaughton said Mr Quinn had “gone far enough” with cuts to small schools. “At this stage, I don’t think we can go back there again,” he said.

Meanwhile, students warned they would “face down” any attempts to cut the grant.

“There are 75,000 students and their families who depend on the grant each year — a grant that has been targeted in each of the last four budgets,” said Joe O’Connor, president of the Union of Students of Ireland. “Any further cut to the grant will push these struggling families over the edge.”

A spokesperson for the Department of Education said no decisions have been taken on where the savings will be found in October’s budget, but that savings of €100m would be required.

The minister had already committed to cuts of €44m in 2014. But two additional pressures have increased this figure. Firstly, he has to find an additional €40m for payments to victims of clerical abuse under the redress scheme. Secondly, he has to find an additional €22m that has arisen from his decision to reverse cuts to resource teachers.

“All options have to be considered during this process. The minister will be seeking to protect frontline services and special needs provisions during this time,” said the spokesperson.

As tensions grow between the coalition parties over whether to ease up on the proposed €3.1bn budget adjustment, concern is growing that the windfall from the promissory note deal will be far smaller than the €1bn anticipated.

Figures out in mid-September are expected to show shortfalls in Vat and excise takings, while a shortfall of €106m in the Department of Health is expected by year-end.

This, coupled with the cost of liquidating IBRC, means the Government will have far less resources to change dramatically from the €3.1bn adjustment.