Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)

I move amendment No. 2:

To delete all words after "Dáil Éireann" and substitute the following:

-acknowledges that the plans set out by the Government in Budget 2012 form an important step in returning Ireland's economy to a sound footing and regaining our economic sovereignty;

-recalls the pioneering measures first taken in 1996 by the then Fine Gael-Labour Party Government by the introduction of dedicated supports for tackling educational disadvantage, with the purpose and objective of ensuring that educational attainment is not confined by the circumstances or place of a child's birth, and that each child has the opportunity to attain their full educational and social potential;

-notes the further development since that time of a series of initiatives, including the Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools, DEIS, Programme;

-commends the commitment, dedication and unstinting work since that time of teachers, principals, school staff, parents and others in the school communities concerned who have worked to ensure the success of DEIS and related schemes in the face of multiple challenges and difficulties;

-notes the successes that have been achieved to date in improving educational opportunities and the life chances of the children who have benefited from these measures;

-notes the resources that have been committed to these schools under a range of headings, including over €158 million that is being provided in 2012 in additional resources and supports for primary and second level schools included in DEIS, in the form of:

-teaching posts to implement more favourable class sizes;

-additional capitation funding;

- additional funding for school books;

-access to the School Meals Programme;

-access to numeracy-literacy supports and measures at primary level such as Reading Recovery, Maths Recovery and First Steps;

-access to Home-School-Community Liaison services;

-access to the School Completion Programme;

-access to planning supports;

-access to a range of professional development supports; and

-provision for school library and librarian support for DEIS Second Level schools, access to the Junior Certificate School Programme and Leaving Certificate Applied;

-notes the priority that has already been afforded by the Minister for Education and Skills, Deputy Ruairí Quinn, TD, to the core issue of improving literacy standards and literacy strategy that is currently being implemented; and

-welcomes:

-the firm commitment of the Government to the principle of equality of educational opportunity;

-the determination of the Government to further the attainment of this goal through the design and implementation of coherent and evidence-based strategies which builds on these achievements;

-the engagement by the Minister for Education and Skills with school principals, teachers, parents and communities in recent weeks, to hear their concerns and clarify the position in relation to changes announced under Budget 2012 to posts allocated to schools under previous schemes to tackle educational disadvantage; and

-the fact that, following this engagement, the Minister for Education and Skills has asked his Department for a report within the next four weeks on the position of DEIS Band One and Band Two schools which currently have posts under older schemes, in the context of the staffing allocations due to issue to all schools in the coming weeks.

I would like to share time with Deputy John Lyons.

See this speech in context