Jerry Cowley (Mayo, Independent)
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Question 1601: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if she will immediately review the DEIS scheme in respect of a school (details supplied) in County Mayo in view of the fact that this disadvantaged scheme for secondary schools has been an extremely successful scheme in helping disadvantaged students and without it there will be disastrous consequences for this school; if she will acknowledge the major crisis she has engineered; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1831/07]

Jerry Cowley (Mayo, Independent)
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Question 1602: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if she will immediately review the DEIS scheme in respect of a school (details supplied) in County Mayo in view of the fact that this disadvantaged scheme for secondary schools has been an extremely successful scheme in helping disadvantaged students and without it there will be disastrous consequences for this school; if she will acknowledge the major crisis she has engineered; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1832/07]

Jerry Cowley (Mayo, Independent)
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Question 1603: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if she will immediately review the DEIS scheme in respect of a school (details supplied) in County Mayo in view of the fact that this disadvantaged scheme for secondary schools has been an extremely successful scheme in helping disadvantaged students and without it there will be disastrous consequences for this school; if she will acknowledge the major crisis she has engineered; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1833/07]

Jerry Cowley (Mayo, Independent)
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Question 1604: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if she will immediately review the DEIS scheme in respect of a school (details supplied) in County Mayo in view of the fact that this disadvantaged scheme for secondary schools has been an extremely successful scheme in helping disadvantaged students and without it there will be disastrous consequences for this school; if she will acknowledge the major crisis she has engineered; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1834/07]

Jerry Cowley (Mayo, Independent)
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Question 1605: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if she will immediately review the DEIS scheme in respect of a school (details supplied) in County Mayo in view of the fact that this disadvantaged scheme for secondary schools has been an extremely successful scheme in helping disadvantaged students and without it there will be disastrous consequences for this school; if she will acknowledge the major crisis she has engineered; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1835/07]

Jerry Cowley (Mayo, Independent)
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Question 1606: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if she will immediately review the DEIS scheme in respect of a school (details supplied) in County Mayo in view of the fact that this disadvantaged scheme for secondary schools has been an extremely successful scheme in helping disadvantaged students and without it there will be disastrous consequences for this school; if she will acknowledge the major crisis she has engineered; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1836/07]

Jerry Cowley (Mayo, Independent)
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Question 1607: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if she will immediately review the DEIS scheme in respect of a school (details supplied) in County Mayo in view of the fact that this disadvantaged scheme for secondary schools has been an extremely successful scheme in helping disadvantaged students and without it there will be disastrous consequences for this school; if she will acknowledge the major crisis she has engineered; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1837/07]

Jerry Cowley (Mayo, Independent)
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Question 1608: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if she will immediately review the DEIS scheme in respect of a school (details supplied) in County Roscommon in view of the fact that this disadvantaged scheme for secondary schools has been an extremely successful scheme in helping disadvantaged students and without it there will be disastrous consequences for this school; if she will acknowledge the major crisis she has engineered; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1838/07]

Jerry Cowley (Mayo, Independent)
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Question 1625: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if she will immediately review the DEIS scheme in respect of a school (details supplied) in County Mayo in view of the fact that this disadvantaged scheme for secondary schools has been an extremely successful scheme in helping disadvantaged students and without it there will be disastrous consequences for this school; if she will acknowledge the major crisis she has engineered; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1880/07]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 1601 to 1608, inclusive, and 1625 together.

DEIS (Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools), the action plan for educational inclusion, provides for a standardised system for identifying levels of disadvantage and a new integrated School Support Programme (SSP). DEIS will bring together and build upon a number of existing interventions in schools with a concentrated level of disadvantage.

The process of identifying schools for participation in DEIS was managed by the Educational Research Centre (ERC) on behalf of my Department and supported by quality assurance work co-ordinated through the Department's regional offices and the Inspectorate.

A review mechanism was put in place to address the concerns of schools that did not qualify for inclusion in DEIS but regarded themselves as having a level of disadvantage which was of a scale sufficient to warrant their inclusion in the programme. The review process operated under the direction of an independent person, charged with ensuring that all relevant identification processes and procedures were properly followed in the case of schools applying for a review. The closing date for receipt of review applications was 31 March, 2006. The Group submitted a report and the review is now concluded. Schools who applied for a review were informed of the outcome in August, 2006.

Schools which have not qualified for inclusion in DEIS and which are receiving additional resources under pre-existing schemes for addressing disadvantage can be assured that they will continue to receive support in line with their level of disadvantage.

Under DEIS I recently announced the provision of 80 new posts to add to the 370 posts already in place in order to extend the Home School Community Liaison service to any of the DEIS schools that do not currently have the service. In addition, all schools will continue to receive HSCL services after 2006/2007. HSCL services will continue to be provided to some 650 schools (370 primary and 282 second level schools). However, following a full review of HSCL clustering arrangements by the Department in the coming year, levels of service may be varied in some schools to reflect their levels of disadvantage and size and to facilitate local HSCL coordinators working with families of disadvantaged children across both primary and second level.

As a result of the identification process and subsequent review, 68 primary schools and 8 second level schools in Mayo have been included in the School Support Programme and nearly 20% of all schools in the rural strand of the programme are in Mayo.