Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour) | Oireachtas source

Education is a priority for the Government and we will endeavour to protect and enhance the educational experience of children, young people and students in disadvantaged areas. The Government has protected DEIS resources provided by my Department, with no overall changes to DEIS-related staffing levels or DEIS funding as a result of budget 2013.

As part of the DEIS programme, a total of €69 million is being provided to 665 primary schools, supporting 100,595 pupils and some 930 additional teacher posts. This funding provides for reduced class sizes, the home-school community liaison service, the support teacher project, DEIS and book grants to individual schools. However, it should be noted that, as the DEIS teaching allocation to individual schools is enrolment based, increasing or decreasing enrolment will determine whether particular schools gain or lose posts from year to year.

In addition, these schools will also receive further supports through the school meals programmes and the school completion programme provided by my colleagues, the Ministers for Social Protection and Children and Youth Affairs, respectively.

See this speech in context