Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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Question 1456: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if he will grant a school (details supplied) in County Louth DEIS status, in view of the fact that all other schools in the town have this status; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48090/08]

Seán Haughey (Dublin North Central, 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). DEIS brings together and builds upon a number of existing interventions in schools with concentrated levels 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 was supported by quality assurance work co-ordinated through the Department's regional offices and the Inspectorate.

A review mechanism was put in place in 2006 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 review was concluded and the results were notified to schools who applied for the review in August, 2006. There was an application for review received from the school to which the Deputy refers. Regrettably, the school was unsuccessful in that process.

The next identification process is scheduled to be held at the end of the current DEIS programme which runs from 2006-2010. There will not be an opportunity before this to be included in the current DEIS programme of supports.