Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)
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Question 702: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Education and Skills if a review of DEIS schools has been completed; when this review will be published; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31213/10]

Seán Haughey (Dublin North Central, Fianna Fail)
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DEIS, the Action plan for Educational Inclusion provides for a phased implementation of the school support programme followed by a new identification process. A full review of DEIS, including a comprehensive evaluation of measures in the School Support Programme (SSP) over the period of the DEIS action plan to 2010 is also currently underway in my Department.

A Steering Group has been established within my Department to progress the technical work in preparation for a new identification process to a stage when wider consultation with relevant stakeholders on the identification method can be commenced. It is expected that the consultation process will commence in the Autumn.

On the basis of the previous identification process there will need to be a lead-in period of at least nine months from the establishment of a new identification process to the commencement of its application.

In terms of the broader evaluation of DEIS, the aim is to have the outcomes of the ERC evaluations completed towards the end of 2010 and these are to be considered by my Department along with the relevant evaluations of practice in DEIS schools undertaken by the Inspectorate as well as relevant recent research undertaken by the ESRI and the NESF.

While stakeholders have been involved in consultation on the nature of the evaluations, there is also an expectation that there will be further consultation with stakeholders when the evaluations are complete with a view to the outcomes of such consultation impacting on the future of the School Support Programme.

It is not yet possible to determine when the process will be complete as this will largely depend on the outcomes of the planned consultation process.