Joe McHugh (Donegal North East, Fine Gael)
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Question 414: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if she will review the situation of a person (details supplied) in County Donegal; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [22730/07]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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An additional 80 posts were made available in 2006 to extend Home School Community Liaison services to all schools selected to participate in DEIS, the Action Plan for Educational Inclusion, that did not have such services. I also extended my commitment to schools not selected to participate in DEIS but already in HSCL scheme, to continue to support these schools in their efforts to deal with educational disadvantage among their students. HSCL coordinator posts are provided on a full time or shared basis between schools and must be deployed to do full-time liaison duties. For the first time, posts are shared across the two sectors — primary & post primary level, to facilitate local HSCL coordinators working with the families of disadvantaged children.

A total of 691 schools now have the services of 450 local HSCL co-ordinators and my Department is currently undertaking a full review of Home School Community Liaison (HSCL) clustering arrangements, to ensure that all schools participating in the scheme have a level of service which is commensurate with both the size of the school as well as its relative level of disadvantage. Any changes made in the HSCL clustering arrangements in schools, which will take effect from 1 September 2008, will facilitate local HSCL coordinators working with families of disadvantaged children across both primary and second level.

HSCL provision in both schools referred to by the Deputy is being considered as part of this review.