Terence Flanagan (Dublin North East, Fine Gael)
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Question 223: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Education and Skills if she will deal with a matter (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31946/10]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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The Programme, referred to by the Deputy, is operated by the Northside Partnership and encourages the participation of young people from the Dublin 17 area in education to the highest levels possible.

Enhancing attendance, progression, retention and attainment are central elements of Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools (DEIS) — the Action Plan for Educational Inclusion. Targeted interventions include Home School Community Liaison services, additional funding for pupils at risk of early school leaving, alternative curricular options and the School Completion Programme. The School Completion Programme is an initiative with a broad-based approach which my Department has adopted to tackle early school leaving.

My Department currently targets the Dublin 17 area through the School Completion Programme. This programme aims to have a positive impact on levels of pupil retention in primary and second level schools and on the number of pupils who successfully complete the Senior Cycle, or equivalent. The Programme entails targeting individual young people of school-going age, both in and out of school, and arranging supports to address inequalities in education access, participation and outcomes. In Dublin 17 five primary schools and one post-primary school participate in the School Completion Programme (SCP). An allocation of €316,340 was made to this SCP in 2009/10.

This funding allocation is additional to regular funding. A second SCP in Dublin 17 is a targeted education initiative for teenage Travellers who do not enrol in mainstream second-level education. The funding allocation for this initiative in 2009/10 was €97,670.

The National Educational Welfare Board was established under the Education Welfare Act, 2000, to monitor attendance and help to get young people back to school. The remit of the Board was expanded in 2009 to include responsibility for the Visiting Teacher Service for Travellers (VTST), the Home School Community Liaison Service (HSCL) and the School Completion Programme (SCP) as well as the National Educational Welfare Service (EWS) under one common management team. The new integrated approach will provide for better targeting of children who are not benefiting from education. It will ensure that these children are properly supported to maximise their educational potential through improved attendance at and participation in school. It also provides new opportunities for enhanced support for parents and families.