Thomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The Minister is right to acknowledge that since we established DEIS, a number of Governments have failed to expand it since 2009. That is a pity because between 2011 and 2013, I think 30 schools were established which have not even been given the opportunity to apply for DEIS status. Since the last identification of schools qualifying under DEIS criteria, communities have changed dramatically in some cases. Their socioeconomic profiles might have changed and they might be more deserving now than previously of the support - not even more deserving but rather more in need of it. The recent ESRI reports, as mentioned in the question and the Minister's reply, indicate that a significant proportion of disadvantaged students attend non-DEIS schools. This is a problem because the students involved do not get the extra supports and resources, which they require and which the State has found to be necessary, in a large proportion of those schools. I look forward to the publication of the Minister's plan but, more importantly, I look forward to more schools being accepted to the DEIS programme.

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