Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)

A key priority for my Department is to prioritise and target resources in schools with the most concentrated levels of educational disadvantage. That challenge is significant, given the current economic climate and the target to reduce public expenditure. This limits the capacity for any additionality in the DEIS programme. In this context, I have no immediate plans to undertake the type of review to which the Deputy refers. I would, however, mention that three reports were published earlier this year regarding the operation of the DEIS programme. They included a report on the first phase of the evaluation of the DEIS programme by the Education Research Centre and two reports on the effectiveness of DEIS planning in primary and post-primary schools prepared by the inspectorate of the Department of Education and Skills. I am pleased to say these evaluations demonstrated positive outcomes for both schools and individual children from the DEIS programme. DEIS rural primary schools were not within the scope of the report on the net impact of budget 2012 on DEIS urban schools. In any case, the overwhelming majority of DEIS rural primary schools were not affected by the budget 2012 proposals regarding legacy posts. Of the 328 DEIS rural primary schools, only 16 will lose one legacy post each.

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