56 Mr. D'Arcy asked the Minister for Education and Science notwithstanding the pupil-teacher ratio at primary level, his views on whether it is acceptable to have infant classes in primary schools with over 30 pupils; the number of pupils in these classes; and the initiatives he proposes to end this situation. [28241/01]

The pupil-teacher ratio for primary schools has been reduced from 22.2:1 in the 1996-97 school year to 19.6 in the 2000-01 school year. The retention of posts arising from the demographic dividend in the 2000-01 school year, the creation of an additional 350 posts under the Programme for Prosperity and Fairness for the 2001-02 school year and the granting of additional resource posts for children with special needs has further reduced the PTR. It is now projected that the PTR for the 2001-02 school year will be 19:1.