Joanna Tuffy (Dublin Mid West, Labour)
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Question 779: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the position regarding the application by schools (details supplied) for home school liaison teachers, in order to compliment the work of the south Clondalkin school completion programme to prevent early school leaving and to meet the needs of those pupils that are at risk of early school leaving. [20625/07]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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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). including. DEIS also brings together and builds upon a number of existing interventions in schools with a concentrated level of disadvantage, including the provision of Home School Community Liaision (HSCL) services.

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.

Applications for review were received and thoroughly examined by the Review Group, from four of the eight schools referred to by the Deputy. In accordance with the recommendations of the Review Group, the schools were not identified for inclusion in DEIS and the schools were informed by letter in August 2006. Unsuccessful schools were advised in May 2007 that they would retain the supports they had under previous schemes, including schools included in the School Completion Programme, for the duration of the DEIS action plan.