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

I welcome the Minister's commitment to putting a new or expanded scheme in place in September but all the while he is perpetuating socio-economic gaps in educational outcomes by maintaining the cap. In recent years, there have been schools that simply could not participate in the programme. Students are losing out as a consequence. It is a deliberate policy. How long does it take to put a new assessment system in place to determine DEIS status? Does the Minister know how many disadvantaged schools do not have DEIS status? How many new schools, which are in newly developed areas in many cases, do not have such status? Since the cap was imposed on the programme in 2011, a number of new primary schools have been built. Thirty new primary schools were established between 2011 in 2013 and they are simply out of the loop. Many of them are suffering on. Educational outcomes and students are suffering.

This matter is urgent. The Minister needs to send out a signal as quickly as possible. It is very worrying that this is being delayed past the deadline set out in the action plan. I am worried it will be delayed again, beyond September of this year, the deadline the Minister has suggested.

See this speech in context