John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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Question 455: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the cost of the Early Start programme in 2005; the number of schools covered; the likely cost of the programme being extended to the RAPID and CLÁR areas; the likely cost of the programme being extended nationwide; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [12133/05]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The Early Start pre-school project operates in 40 primary schools in designated areas of urban disadvantage in Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Waterford, Galway, Drogheda and Dundalk. There are a total of 1,680 places in Early Start centres and the provision involved for 2005 is €4.9 million. I will shortly publish a new policy framework to tackle disadvantage in education which will put in place a new integrated programme of supports to bring together and build upon existing policy interventions and initiatives for schools and school communities with concentrated levels of disadvantage. Early childhood education provision will be one of the issues to be addressed by the new policy framework.