Budget to rule on fee-paying schools

The continued €95m-a- year government funding of fee-paying schools will not be decided until the budget, according to Education Minister Ruairí Quinn.

But his department strongly hinted that the entire scrapping of the investment is unlikely because of the increased cost that would result from schools being forced to close.

Mr Quinn’s Labour Party colleague, public transport minister Alan Kelly, said at the weekend he thinks the day of being able to pay the money to private schools “is going to come to an end”.