Ms Gr?inne Cullen:

We do not have the data about how many homework clubs are in place around the country. The funding that is provided to the Tusla education support service for the school completion programme would be the main funding from the Department that goes towards homework clubs. Schools can use their general funding to target supports for children, including things such as homework clubs, and they do so. The people in the schools are close and can understand where the needs are. Targeted support for homework clubs would come under the school completion programme. There are 126 of those projects across the country and they work across clusters of schools. A co-ordinator works with the schools to develop activities. There are also breakfast clubs. It is about the piece surrounding the school day. However, we do not have data for how many schools run a homework club, how many Travellers would be in those clubs or anything like that.