Ms Mary Cregg:

There is a lot in that. I will try to address all the Vice Chairman's questions but forgive me if I miss something along the way. On the statistics, the figure of 68% to 70% retention to junior certificate is correct. Enrolment in third year is in or around 90% but not all of those children will progress to do their junior certificate. However, many of these children do progress and there has been an increase in progression over the years to both fifth year and sixth year. For example, of those who entered secondary school in 2015, around 65% of boys and 69% of girls progressed to fifth year. The progression rates to sixth year, although well below the national levels, have increased over the time. Of those children who entered school in 2014, 30% of boys progressed to sixth year, relative to 24% in 2010, and 50% of girls progressed to sixth year, relative to 42% in 2010. There has been an increase in progression over that four-year period. However, the retention level to leaving certificate of 22% is significantly less than the overall national average, which would be approximately 91.5%.

It is important to look at the increases that are there albeit that they are small but there are positive improvements. Obviously, there is a lot more work to do in that regard.

A question was asked about the dormant accounts funding, which is relevant in that context. A figure of €500,000 has been allocated to the Department of Education. It is intended that €100,000 of that will be for transition supports to be provided by Tusla education support services in that high-risk area of the transition between junior and senior cycle and that €400,000 will go to local community engagement projects building on what we have seen to date as building those relationships. The actual determinants of that scheme will be published in due course. That is the breakdown of the €500,000. That is not to say that €500,000 is the only investment from the Department of Education in education supports for Travellers.