Michelle Mulherin (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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I ask the Minister of State to reconsider the current position of Inver national school, afford DEIS status to the school and stop the existing discrimination against its pupils. From his educational data, the Minister of State will know well that this primary school is situated in an area of severe educational disadvantage that is thus designated. This position is supported by the INTO which has highlighted the challenges experienced on a daily basis on this account.

It is on the record that the process of identifying schools for participation in DEIS was managed by the Educational Research Centre on behalf of the Minister of State's Department. The identification process for qualifying schools was based on a survey sent out by the ERC in May 2005 which examined socio-economic conditions underpinning schools. The fact is that a completed survey form was never received from Inver national school, in spite of numerous communications to the school. As a result the school could not be assessed and, in consequence, it is not part of DEIS. Every other school in the Erris area has obtained DEIS status. Since 2005 some temporary supports were given in acknowledgment of the situation in which this school found itself but to date it has not been given the DEIS status it clearly deserves.

It is well-known to the Minister of State that the principal of the school at the time - and whosoever else was in charge - have done an unbelievable disservice to pupils and the community of Inver. The blame lies on whomsoever was in charge. The present position is due to the incompetence of this person and there is considerable distress within the school, among the teaching staff and the parents. Due to its exclusion, this school does not receive the same funding or book grant that every other primary school in the Erris area receives and it has been excluded from applying for certain grants such as for IT grants, etc. The school has already lost a teacher. The lack of DEIS status has also precluded the school from applying for community funding that was available.

I attach no blame of any kind to the Minister of State. I urge him, however, to treat this as a special case because it is one. Why should the pupils be left to pay the price because of the incompetence of an individual who had other things on her mind? There is no need for me to put the name of this person on the record of the House. She is well-known to the Minister of State and to the people in the community of Inver. I appeal to the Minister of State to make an allowance in this very special case. This community has suffered enough on account of local events in recent years. I ask him to please give the people a break.

Ciarán Cannon (Galway East, Fine Gael)
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A key priority for my Department is to prioritise and target resources in schools with the most concentrated levels of educational disadvantage. That challenge is significant given the current economic climate and the target to reduce overall public expenditure. This limits the capacity for any additionality in the DEIS programme.

The process of identifying schools for participation in DEIS was managed by the Educational Research Centre, ERC, on behalf of my Department 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 carried out by the ERC in May 2005. The analysis of the survey returns from primary schools by the ERC identified the socio-economic variables that collectively best predict achievement. These variables were then used to identify schools for participation in DEIS. As the Deputy noted, notwithstanding repeated communications to the school referred to by the Deputy, a completed survey form was not received from the school in question and therefore it could not be assessed at the time for participation in DEIS.

Many representations have been made to my Department and to my predecessors by and on behalf of Inver national school, seeking its inclusion in DEIS. These representations were unsuccessful. It should be noted that none of those schools in the country which were unsuccessful in the initial identification and subsequent review processes were ever admitted to the DEIS programme.

Michelle Mulherin (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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I again ask the Minister of State not to add insult to injury to this community. In his response he referred to the incompetence within the school in returning a survey form. Every other small school in the area has DEIS status and this does not stack up. I do not believe we can stand over it.

I was disappointed that the school was not included in the review of DEIS schools. Above all others, this is a very special case and the Minister of State is aware of other details I have not mentioned. I ask him to speak to the Minister, Deputy Quinn. We cannot stand over this issue.

Ciarán Cannon (Galway East, Fine Gael)
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As all Members are aware, we are in a very difficult budgetary situation. Like every other Department, the Department of Education and Skills has to find significant savings. The Minister referred to these in the Chamber only a few days ago, stating that we had to achieve savings of the order of €70 million this year, another €70 million next year and more than €100 million in the final year of the period, 2014.

A third of all public sector employees work in this sector. Unlike many other countries, and fortunately, in one sense, for us, our school-going population is rising rapidly. The current economic climate and the challenge to meet significant targets and reduce that expenditure means there is no capacity at present to add to the DEIS programme. There are a number of schools which did not participate in the orginal survey in 2005. Others that were not part of the survey process have tried on numerous occasions since then to gain DEIS status. This was not possible at the time and is impossible at present. That is not to say that at some point in the future when things are better from a financial and fiscal point of view that we will not reopen the possibility of additionality to the DEIS programme. The only honest or frank position one can adopt at this point is to tell the school at Inver, and many others like it, that change of status is impossible now but may become possible at some point in the future.