David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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Question 56: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the number of Traveller children currently availing of the Traveller resource teacher programme and visiting teachers travelling children scheme; the number of teachers employed under this scheme; the number of students from the Traveller community who have completed the junior certificate and the leaving certificate respectively in the years 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003 and 2004; her further plans to improve the service; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3029/05]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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It is the Government's policy that, in as far as is possible, Traveller children should participate in mainstream education in age-appropriate classes and in an integrated setting.

In order to ensure that this policy translates into practice, my Department provides a range of supports. A total of 519 resource teacher posts have been sanctioned in primary schools. A resource teacher post is sanctioned where schools have a minimum enrolment of 14 Traveller pupils. Additional teaching hours are sanctioned in respect of Traveller children enrolled in post-primary schools.

My Department employs a national education officer for Travellers and funds a visiting teacher service for Travellers. There are currently 40 teacher posts in the visiting teachers service and they provide advice and support to schools and to Traveller families. While the visiting teacher service is available to all Traveller children, a precise figure on the number of Traveller children who access this service is not available.

A major focus of the work of the visiting teacher service is encouraging greater participation in education by Traveller children both in terms of achieving regular attendance and of retention in full-time education.

While specific information on the number of Traveller students who sat the junior and leaving certificate examinations in each of the years 2000-04 is not available, the following estimates of the numbers of Traveller students in junior and leaving certificate exam classes in each of the relevant years were prepared by the visiting teacher service, some of these students may not have gone on to sit the examination.

A new five-year strategy for Traveller education is currently being developed with the assistance of both the statutory educational disadvantage committee and the advisory committee on Traveller education. The purpose of this exercise is to review and evaluate existing activities, the wide range of inputs, the quality of outcomes and the experience of Traveller learners within the education system. The strategy will provide recommendations on the way forward in relation to Traveller education.