Michael D Higgins (Galway West, Labour)
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Question 1050: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the position on the threatened withdrawal of home-school community liaison services; and if in view of the reassessment of national expenditure, he is able to offer assurances that these services will not be reduced or eliminated. [11188/09]

Seán Haughey (Dublin North Central, Fianna Fail)
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6153Following the introduction of DEIS (Delivering Equality of Opportunities in Schools), a commitment was given, as a concessionary measure, to Non DEIS schools in receipt of resources under pre-existing schemes, including the Home School Community Liaison (HSCL) service, that they would retain a level of support in line with their size and disadvantage levels for the duration of the DEIS Initiative.

Given the current volatile and challenging economic climate, difficult choices had to be made in order to contain public sector spending. Accordingly, from September 2009, HSCL services will be withdrawn from schools which were judged by an independent identification process in 2005 not to have a sufficient level of disadvantage among their pupils to warrant their inclusion in DEIS (Delivering Equality of opportunities in Schools), the Action Plan for Educational Inclusion.

The main focus of Social Inclusion measures will be to retain resources in the 873 DEIS schools. There is a need to focus targeted resources on the schools in most need and this approach is in line with the broad thrust of the recommendations of the Comptroller and Auditor General which are set out in his report on Primary Disadvantage of 2006, which recommended that my Department should focus its educational disadvantage measures on those schools serving the most disadvantaged communities.