Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)

I thank the Minister for his reply. I am glad that last week he admitted that the wrong option had been taken on DEIS. I am not making a meal of it; I do not believe in such commentary. We get on with the business.

There is evidence, from the Educational Research Centre and from speaking to parents and teachers, that DEIS has been very successful. In a comparison of the same pupils' achievements on two occasions in the three years covered by the education research review, the measurement of their achievements in second class in 2007 and fifth class in 2010 showed significant improvements.

My understanding is that the Department offered the dramatic reduction in DEIS as one of the spending options to the Minister's colleague, the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Deputy Howlin, in September last. Surely there was an onus to undertake a proper and detailed analysis on the implications of reducing DEIS posts. The Minister, Deputy Quinn, has correctly spoken about the need to improve numeracy and literacy and all of us in this House have agreed with him in all our discussions, through parliamentary questions, Private Members' business or whatever, in this House. There is evidence that numeracy and literacy has been improved due to DEIS and the different allocations of extra support available for those schools in disadvantaged areas.

Is the Minister indicating that only certain posts will be restored? There is a view out there that the proposals announced on the implications of the budget for the DEIS scheme would be reversed and the Minister is saying today that they will not be reversed in total.

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