Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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Question 416: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Education and Science if she plans to extend the contracts of librarians in DEIS schools whose contracts are due to expire in August 2010; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13695/10]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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Under the terms of the DEIS Action Plan, a commitment was made to extend the Junior Certificate School Programme (JCSP) Demonstration Library Project to the 50 School Support Programme (SSP) schools with the highest concentrations of disadvantage over the five years to 2010, with extension to further SSP schools to be considered subsequently.

To date, the Project has been extended to 20 of the targeted 50 additional SSP schools, bringing the current number of schools with a Demonstration Library to 30.

The project establishes high quality, fully stocked and equipped modern school libraries and provides each with a professional librarian. A number of studies have noted that the project is effective in addressing the literacy needs of students in schools with the highest concentration of disadvantage in particular it has been noted that reading standards, student concentration and behaviour had improved.

Library staff, like other public servants in the Education sector, other than teachers and SNAs, are subject to the public sector moratorium and consequently the matter raised by the deputy falls to be considered in the context of the current public financial and numbers policy environment.

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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Question 417: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Education and Science the DEIS schools in Dublin 15 that have a librarian whose contract is due to expire during 2010; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13696/10]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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Due to industrial action on the part of some staff in the Department of Education and Science, I am not in a position to provide the information sought by the Deputy.