Brian Lenihan Jnr (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)

I am pleased to advise the Deputy that the Estimates for 2007 for the Department of Education and Science include a provision of €9.8 million for the National Educational Welfare Board. This represents an increase of 20% on the 2006 allocation and of 50% on the 2004 level.

This substantial increase in funding is a clear indication of this Government's commitment to prioritise investment in favour of those most at risk. Through increased investment and improved services we are determined to optimise access, participation and educational outcomes at every level of the system for disadvantaged groups. The increase in funding for the board will allow it to expand its services further and increase staffing.

Since we formally launched the board in December 2003, the number of staff has increased to 94. The board operates through five regional teams, with bases in Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Galway and Waterford. A service is provided from 26 locations nationwide. Staff are deployed in areas of greatest disadvantage and in areas designated under the Government's RAPID programme. In addition, the board follows up on urgent cases nationally where children are not currently receiving an education. Educational welfare officers monitor school attendance and work to improve it. They also help parents who are experiencing a difficulty with getting a school place for their child.

Since January 2004, 20,000 cases involving students with reported school attendance difficulties have been resolved by the board. The NEWB has also written to every family with children of school going age advising them of their rights and responsibilities in respect of education and school attendance and where they can get help.

The first national data on school attendance has also been collected and is being used to inform the board's work. With respect to the effectiveness of the service, it is encouraging to note research findings that attendance at school in the areas where EWOs are working intensively improved in 2004-05 compared with the previous year.

The board is currently working on guidelines for schools on developing attendance strategies and the prevention of student absenteeism. Work is also advanced on guidelines for codes of behaviour.

While the NEWB was set up just three years ago, much has already been achieved by the service and the Government is committed to strengthening its role even further.

However, it should be remembered that the board is just one aspect of the comprehensive framework this Government has put in place to improve school attendance and encourage more young people to finish school. In this regard, extra supports targeted at young people in disadvantaged areas include both educational initiatives such as intensive literacy programmes and services such as breakfast clubs and homework clubs.

In addition to the NEWB, there are currently some 490 staff within the education sector with a role in school attendance. Home-school community liaison co-ordinators, in working with parents, promote school attendance and its importance for success in school. School attendance is a central objective of the school completion programme with attendance tracking a core feature and one of its preventative strategies. Access to these services is being increased under the new action plan for tackling educational disadvantage, DEIS.

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