Maurice Cummins (Fine Gael)

Senator MacSharry requested a debate on the review initiated by the Minister for Social Protection on community employment schemes. She will be attending the House over the month on the social welfare Bill so such a debate can be had then.

Senator White raised the changes to the delivering equality of opportunity in schools, DEIS, programme, an important issue for disadvantaged areas. In all, 160 posts will be withdrawn next September, three quarters of them from DEIS-programme schools. These posts arise from earlier schemes to tackle disadvantage and were supposed to be withdrawn after the introduction of DEIS in 2005. However, this did not happen and several schools will lose some teachers in September. The Minister for Education and Skills and the Department have informed me these will be treated sensitively through alleviation measures. There is possibly a choice. If there was a choice between increasing the pupil-teacher ratio and continuing the work in disadvantaged schools, I know what side I would come down on but it is a matter which I will try to get the Minister for Education and Skills to address in the House.