Willie Penrose (Westmeath, Labour)
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Question 191: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if a significant increase in funding will be provided to the National Educational Welfare Board in order that it can fulfil its mandate throughout the country; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32818/05]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The Education (Welfare) Act 2000 established the National Educational Welfare Board as the single national body with responsibility for school attendance. The Act provides a comprehensive framework promoting regular school attendance and tackling the problems of absenteeism and early school leaving. The general functions of the board are to ensure that each child attends a recognised school or otherwise receives a certain minimum education.

To discharge its responsibilities, the board is developing a nationwide service that is accessible to schools, parents or guardians and others concerned with the welfare of young people. For this purpose, educational welfare officers have been appointed and deployed throughout the country to provide a welfare-focused service to support regular school attendance and discharge the board's functions locally. The total authorised staffing complement of the board is 94, comprising 16 HQ and support staff, five regional managers, 11 senior educational welfare officers and 62 educational welfare officers. Towns which have an educational welfare officer allocated to them include Dundalk, Drogheda, Navan, Athlone, Carlow, Kilkenny, Wexford, Bray, Clonmel, Tralee, Ennis, Sligo, Naas, Castlebar, Longford, Tuam, Tullamore, Letterkenny and Portlaoise. Since September 2005, every county in Ireland is served by an educational welfare service. The board will also follow up on urgent cases nationally where children are not currently receiving an education.

In addition to National Educational Welfare Board staff, there are 490 staff in education disadvantage programmes whose work involves a school attendance element. My Department is anxious to ensure that the maximum benefit is derived from these substantial personnel resources. Consequently, work is ongoing to develop appropriate protocols for integrated working between the different services involved.

The budget allocated to the National Educational Welfare Board for 2005 was €7.838 million, an increase of €1.3 million or 20% on the 2004 allocation. I will keep the level of funding under review. However, I am anxious to secure greater efficiencies through integrated working and by examining the scope for improvements in operational procedures.