Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I agree that the update on the numeracy and literacy was very good news and demonstrated the first significant improvement in many years. As a result, and because we have already reached the targets for 2020, I have brought forward the review of the strategy, and that will happen this year. I want to focus on areas in which we need to make further progress, particularly DEIS schools. While DEIS schools did improve, the gap between such schools and regular schools has not narrowed sufficiently. Therefore, the review of the strategy will focus on DEIS schools.

In regard to the DEIS report, I was speaking to the official working on that report this morning when I met with youngballymun in the Department. We were looking at what youngballymun is doing in regard to literacy and numeracy. The report is nearly ready, but it has not yet come to me. I assume we will have to make a case for increased funding when we receive the report, but I have not seen it yet.