Joe O'Reilly (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the targets set for early school leavers. I know it sounds outside the box, but the provision of two years of preschool education will alleviate poverty and in the long run will deal with much early school leaving. From my experience as a teacher I know that intervention at the youngest possible age is the way to deal with educational disadvantage.

Will the Minister give some thought to the leaving certificate applied course, which has been underplayed? It is the only outlet for the weaker academic student. We treat it as a Cinderella and there are insufficient outlets from it.