Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Táim buíoch don Aire as a bheith anseo. Tá áthas orm go bhfuil sé anseo chun é seo a chloisteáil agus chun na díospóireachta seo a bheith againn. Tá súil agam go mbeidh sé in ann smaoineamh air i ndiaidh na díospóireachta.

I expect that the Minister will provide a lengthier version of a reply to a parliamentary question, or something along the lines of what I received from him a week or two ago. Among other things, the reply stated:

[...] my Department has introduced an objective, statistics based model for assessing which schools merit inclusion in the DEIS Programme, so that all stakeholders can have confidence that we are targeting extra resources at those schools with the highest levels of concentrated disadvantage [...] Following an initial application of this new methodology, 79 new schools, including 66 primary schools, were brought into the DEIS programme in 2017 with a further 30 primary schools being upgraded from Band 2 to Band 1 status.  These schools were assessed as having the highest levels of concentrated disadvantage.

It further stated that until there is further analysis, for which there is a proposal, it is not intended to expand the DEIS programme to further schools.

The specific matter I raise relates to DEIS urban band 2, which is a category that contains a substantial number of schools. No new schools were added to the category during the previous DEIS announcement in 2017. Will the Minister consider that and whether it might be worth taking the initiative? Given the resources involved are not the same, it would be less expensive than designating schools from having no DEIS categorisation to band 1, or from band 2 to band 1. There would be a number of advantages to this. I expect that many schools could benefit from this but two examples are Togher boys' and girls' national schools in Cork city. The family centre in Togher carried out a study of the composition of families whose children attend Togher national schools. All the findings I will outline are relevant to the DEIS criteria because they are the kinds of data that are taken into account. A total of 17.9% of respondents were one-parent families, 18.7% were housed in local authority housing, 10.4% had five or more children, 54.9% had third level education, 25% were Travellers or Roma, 34.7% did not speak English as a first language, 46% received social welfare, while 53% were entitled to a medical card. While those statistics are approximately two years old, my understanding is the trends have not changed substantially and that between 25% and 40% of students in most of the classes do not have English as a first language. Several of the small areas under the Pobal small area population statistic maps qualify as disadvantaged or very disadvantaged. Put simply, the area is included in the revitalising areas by planning, investment and development, RAPID, programme. It is not a new development but rather was designated under various disadvantage schemes, dating back to the programmes of the former Minister of State, Chris Flood.

I have spoken to the principals. The schools should be designated as band 1 because it is justified by the level of disadvantage that many of the students experience, but the Department does not agree. So be it; perhaps we can have that debate another day. Had DEIS band 2 been opened, the schools would have qualified. I am quite certain of that and the Department must not have been short of band 1 schools. The schools and their families need additional help. I am sure many schools throughout the country are in a similar category but they are not receiving additional help based on that disadvantage. Under DEIS band 2, they could benefit from measures such as home-school liaison, access to the school completion programme and a school completion officer, and they do not receive the same level of support from an educational welfare officer. Will the Minister consider that and whether DEIS band 2 will be opened to schools such as the national schools in Togher and countless others which could benefit from it?

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