Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I will start with the second question. Some €180 million is spent on the DEIS scheme every year. We had the single largest expansion of the DEIS scheme last year at a cost of €32 million. One in four of our students benefits from DEIS supports, so it is significant. As regards going forward, I hear what the Deputy is saying. He is particularly invested in access to DEIS. An OECD review of DEIS is currently being undertaken. The reviewers were here during the summer and met the staff of a variety of types of schools. They are doing a full analysis of DEIS. The Department is also doing a forensic review of what is happening in our DEIS schools and the scope for and potential of schools that almost qualify for DEIS, but are outside it. That review may point us towards more flexible and resilient criteria going forward. It is valuable work that is under way at the moment. It should have a positive impact.

I know the counselling in primary schools is close to the Deputy's heart because he advocated strongly for it. As he will be aware, the pilot has two strands. The first is one-to-one counselling provision in a certain number of counties on a pilot basis. We secured funding to ensure it can continue. It is my aspiration that we will be able to roll it out to all other schools. Schools on the first strand have been notified, those eligible to provide the counselling have been identified to the schools and the National Educational Psychological Service, NEPS, psychologists are working with schools to identify appropriate students. The second strand involves well-being practitioners working under the guidance of NEPS. They have already engaged with NEPS and that activity will now also be rolled out. There will be great learning from the two different initiatives and they will inform best practice. Perhaps the two strands should continue nationwide or perhaps one should, but we will not know that until the full evaluation is done. We have sufficient funding for it to run in 2024 so that we can do a full evaluation.