David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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I thank the office of the Ceann Comhairle for allowing me raise this issue and the Minister for attending to respond.

Yesterday, the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Deputy Martin, visited Youghal in Cork. I am not sure if the Minister for Agriculture and Food has ever been there but, if she has, she will know it is a lovely town. Unfortunately, as with her own county, it has been devastated in recent times by the loss of traditional manufacturing employment, so much so that it has been designated under the RAPID programme. I will not elaborate on what this means as I am sure the Minister knows the town has disadvantaged status. As such, it should be afforded special recognition under many programmes.

To this end, it is puzzling why one of the largest primary schools in the town has not been given special status under the DEIS initiative variables. Bunscoil Mhuire, O'Brien's Place, has 462 pupils. Of these, 127, or more than a quarter, are from families in which the main income earner is unemployed. One hundred and fifty-three live with families with medical cards, 141 live in local authority accommodation, 159 live with lone-parent families, and the parent or guardian of at least 102 left school before taking the junior, intermediate or group certificate examination or their equivalent. Under the variables of the DEIS programme, the school scores very highly.

I ask that the review of the application be considered very seriously. When the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment visited Youghal yesterday, reference was made to the high level of unemployment in the town. The Minister for Agriculture and Food will know that one way out of unemployment and poverty is education. The town is outside the area to which the NEPS applies. The service stops within six or seven miles of the town and this is another reason the school is disadvantaged.

I am a little concerned because I understand the review will take quite a number of months and it may be next May or June, during the holidays, when the results are made known. If the answer is "No", it will be very difficult for those involved and there may be no means of appeal. I ask the Department to consider this matter seriously. It is very important for the future of the 462 pupils in the school.

Class sizes in the school are quite high, ranging from a maximum of 34 to 24. Most of the classes have numbers of pupils in the high 20s or 30s. When one considers the difficulties that exist and the lack of supports and services in the school, one will realise the pressures the teachers are under and the problems that will be generated for the future. Now is the time to put in place services and supports to prevent these problems and help the students achieve their potential.

I ask the Department, through the Minister, to do everything possible, as soon as possible, to make the necessary resources available under what I believe is quite a good programme, the DEIS programme.

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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I am pleased to have the opportunity to address the House on developments regarding Bunscoil Mhuire. The school support programme under DEIS, the new action plan for educational inclusion, will bring together and build upon a number of existing interventions in schools with a concentrated level of disadvantage. The new action plan is being introduced on a phased basis, starting during the current school year. It will involve an additional annual investment of €40 million on full implementation. In addition, supports will continue to be provided for schools where the level of disadvantage is more dispersed.

As one may already be aware, the process of identifying primary and second level schools for participation in the new school support programme has now been completed. This process was managed by the Educational Research Centre on behalf of the Department of Education and Science and supported by quality assurance work co-ordinated through the Department's regional offices and the inspectorate. In the primary sector, the identification process was based on a survey of all mainstream primary schools. An excellent response rate of more than 97% was achieved from this survey.

As a result of the identification process, 840 schools have been invited to participate in the new school support programme. These comprise 640 primary schools — 320 urban/town schools and 320 rural schools — and 200 second level schools. Letters of invitation were issued to all 840 schools in late February with a request to complete and return an acceptance form by 10 March 2006.

The school to which the Deputy refers is not among the primary schools selected for participation in the school support programme and is not participating in any of the pre-existing schemes for addressing concentrated disadvantage. However, in addition to the provision being made under the new school support programme for schools with a concentrated level of disadvantage, financial support will also continue to be provided for other primary schools where the level of disadvantage is most dispersed. This support will be based on the results of the new identification process and the arrangements which will apply in this regard will be notified to schools early in the autumn.

A review mechanism has been put in place to address the concerns of schools that did not qualify for inclusion in the school support programme but regard themselves as having a level of disadvantage of a scale sufficient to warrant their inclusion in the programme. This mechanism will operate under the direction of an independent person, charged with ensuring that all relevant identification processes and procedures are properly followed in the case of schools applying for a review. The school to which the Deputy refers has requested a review and a review form was issued to the school on 6 March 2006. The closing date for receipt of review applications is Friday, 31 March 2006. I hope this clarifies the position on the school to which the Deputy referred.