James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

As the Deputy is aware, we are investing €260 million in improving outcomes for children, and that is not a small sum of money by any means. We are very much convinced, as is the Deputy, of the value of early intervention. The good news that I have from the programme is that its existence has conferred particular advantage to those who come from disadvantaged programmes; an improvement in reading skills is just one measure. It levels the playing pitch for children. I agree with the Deputy in that the earlier the intervention, the better. For every euro spent in that area, we get our greatest return. The value is incalculable.

In parallel with the evaluation of the ABC programme, my Department has convened a task group comprising key stakeholders, including representatives of the ABC sites, to explore how best the mainstreaming of the learning from the ABC programme and related prevention and early intervention initiatives can be progressed. Developments in both of these initiatives will be key to informing considerations regarding the mainstreaming of learning emerging from the ABC programme.

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