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

This is an outrageous state of affairs. Deputy Cahill has outlined the situation very well. Criteria were established but they have never been explained clearly to anybody, either in this House or to schools themselves, as to how schools qualify for the DEIS programme. We are simply told that there is an index which relates to the census of 2011 which is applied to get the list of schools. Clearly it was not applied properly. Some 257 schools are revealed as being classified as disadvantaged by the Department and worthy of support, but they have not received that support. I have accused the Minister of dodging questions on this in the past. He has dodged questions in the past, and he is dodging them tonight. It is disrespectful to the House that the Minister for Education and Skills is not in the House tonight. I am certain he is not too far away.

See this speech in context