Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I have been saying it for years and I will say it again. It makes absolutely no sense that the schools which I mentioned - Pobalscoil Ghaoth Dobhair, Scoil Ghort an Choirce, Scoil Rann na Feirste agus Scoil Mhín Tine Dé - are kept out of DEIS status. It does not make any sense whatsoever. The Department has refused freedom of information requests for the criteria it uses. Will the Minister of State explain how every primary school in the parish, every feeder school to the secondary school, can have DEIS status, but the secondary school does not? Will he explain how an area which has increased in deprivation over the past five years still does not qualify for DEIS despite the fact that it is a disadvantaged area and always has been? Every other primary school in the parish has got DEIS status, as has the secondary school. Will the Minister explain that to me, because that is the situation in which Scoil Ghort an Choirce finds itself? Will he explain to me how a proud Gaeltacht school in Rann na Feirste, which is a deprived area, is still denied DEIS status? It does not make any sense. I have asked the Minister to meet me in respect of these four schools. I have asked the Department to publish the criteria. It is denying these children and schools the additional supports. There is never any transparency. The Minister of State says that he will review every school in the first quarter of 2018. When will a decision be made? When he finally realises that these schools should have been afforded DEIS status, when will the Department make the decision that they will be afforded that status? Will it be at the end of the first quarter of 2018 or will it be in September 2018?

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