(Ireland) Irish nat'l budget: 370 MORE SPED classes/more paras

Sept 26, 2022, Irish Examiner: Here are the main provisions of tomorrow's €10bn budget https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/arid-40969919.html

With just hours left until the Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe and Public Expenditure Minister Michael McGrath take to their feet in the Dáil chamber to commend Budget 2023 to the house, much of the final shape of the document has been agreed. Here is what you can expect in Today’s €10bn budget….

Education

Government sources say that Education Minister Norma Foley has secured funding of €47m for a scheme to make school books free for all primary school children from next September. She has also secured a commitment to bring pupil-teacher ratios down to 23:1 and an expansion of the number of seats available on the school transport scheme.

A further 370 special education classes will be created, with additional recruitment of SNAs (special needs assistants) and SENOs (special educational needs organisers).

In Higher Education, Minister Simon Harris has won an immediate €1,000 cut in fees, with guarantees that those from families on less than €62k will not pay over €1,500 per year.

Public Expenditure Minister Michael McGrath and Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe in the Department of Finance today with the Budget 2023 document to be revealed on Tuesday. Picture: Moya Nolan