Willie Penrose (Longford-Westmeath, Labour)
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Question 79: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if he will ensure that the home-school community liaison services for schools throughout the country will not be reduced or withdrawn in view of the fact that the impact that rising unemployment may have on families and homes may mean that children could become at risk as a result of disruption to family finances caused by a reduction in household income; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12250/09]

Seán Haughey (Dublin North Central, Fianna Fail)
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Following 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 Accordingly, from September 2009, HSCL services will be withdrawn from schools which were judged by an independent identification process in 2005 not to have a sufficient level of disadvantage among their pupils to warrant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.