Olwyn Enright (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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Question 532: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the number of staff employed by the National Educational Welfare Board; the number employed in each county and the area which they cover; the number employed in administration only; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24710/06]

Olwyn Enright (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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Question 534: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the average caseload per officer in the National Educational Welfare Board; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24712/06]

Brian Lenihan Jnr (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 532 and 534 together.

The National Educational Welfare Board (NEWB) was established under The Education (Welfare) Act, 2000 as the single national body with responsibility for school attendance. The Act provides a comprehensive framework which promotes regular school attendance and tackles the problems of absenteeism and early school leaving. The general functions of the Board are to ensure that every child attends a recognised school or otherwise receives a certain minimum education.

The Board is developing, on a continuing basis, a nationwide service that is accessible to schools, parents/guardians and others concerned with the welfare of young people. For this purpose, Educational Welfare Officers (EWOs) have been 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, 5 regional managers, 12 Senior EWO's and 61 EWO's. Five regional teams are in place with bases in Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Galway and Waterford.

In deploying its service staff, the NEWB has prioritised the provision of services to the most disadvantaged areas and the most at-risk groups. This deployment includes areas designated under the Government's RAPID programme where an intensive full level of service is provided. Since September 2005 every county in Ireland is served by an educational welfare service. I have been informed by the NEWB that the current average caseload is 138 per officer.

In addition to the NEWB personnel there are some 490 staff, within the education sector, deployed in education disadvantage programmes whose work involves an element of school attendance and significant scope exists for integrated working between these personnel and Educational Welfare Officers. 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 all agencies and services to work together in collaboration and to ensure that optimum use is made of the resources deployed.

This government is determined to do all that is possible to ensure that every child gets all the opportunities and support they need to enable them to achieve their potential and participate fully in education. I will be keeping the issue of the NEWB's staffing under review in light of the rollout of services, the scope for integrated working and any proposals that the Board may put to me in relation to clearly identified priority needs and in the context of Government policy on public service numbers.

Olwyn Enright (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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Question 533: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the number of offices leased, rented or owned by the National Educational Welfare Board; the location of these offices; the costs per annum of these offices; if they are shared with any other agency or board; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24711/06]

Brian Lenihan Jnr (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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The information requested is not readily available in my Department as it is an operational matter for the National Educational Welfare Board. However I have requested the Board to supply this information directly to the Deputy.

Olwyn Enright (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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Question 535: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the amount spent on travel expenses on a county basis by staff in the National Educational Welfare Board; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24713/06]

Brian Lenihan Jnr (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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The Education (Welfare) Act, 2000 established the National Educational Welfare Board (NEWB) 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.

The Board is developing, on a continuing basis, a nationwide service that is accessible to schools, parents/guardians and others concerned with the welfare of young people. For this purpose, Educational Welfare Officers (EWOs) have been 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, 5 regional managers, 12 Senior EWO's and 61 EWO's. Five regional teams are in place with bases in Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Galway and Waterford.

I have been informed by the NEWB that the information, as requested by the Deputy, for travel expenses on a county basis is not readily available. However the Board have supplied the total cost of travel for officers in 2005 which was €320,408. This figure is comprised of public transport costs and costs for use of personal vehicles where warranted.