Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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Question 156: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills his views on directing any of the additional funding made available to him in the jobs initiative to reverse decisions taken in relation to traveller resource teachers around the country; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11195/11]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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I wish to advise the Deputy that the decision to withdraw Resource Teacher for Travellers was taken by the previous Government as part of the last Budget. The requirement to make expenditure savings and to ensure that staffing numbers remain within the Public Service Employment Control Framework prevent me from re-visiting this decision.

Resource Teacher for Traveller posts/Teaching Hours for Traveller pupils will be withdrawn, effective from 31st August 2011. Traveller pupils who are eligible for learning support teaching should receive this tuition through the existing learning support provision in schools. All schools should select students for learning support on the basis of priority of need.

Limited alleviation or adjustment measures are being provided to assist schools that have high concentrations of Traveller pupils who were previously supported by Resource Teachers for Travellers.

In respect of DEIS, (Developing Equality of Opportunity in Schools), Traveller enrolments have been included in the valid enrolment for the purpose of allocating additional staffing under DEIS from the 2011/12 school year. The schools involved have already received their staffing allocations for next year.

For schools other than DEIS schools in receipt of enhanced pupil teacher ratios, alleviation measures are being provided to assist schools with high concentrations of Traveller pupils who were previously supported by RTT posts. Any alleviation measures must be considered in the context of the limited resources that are available to my Department. As such, alleviation measures are being concentrated on schools which had 33 or more pupils supported by RTT posts, based on 2009/10 school year enrolments. The funding made available in my Department to support the Jobs Initiative announced last week was earmarked to allow this Government to meet the pledge in the Programme for Government to deliver an additional 15,000 places in training, work experience and educational opportunities within our first 100 days in office. The measures contained in the Jobs Initiative will provide those seeking employment with an additional 20,900 places, with the majority coming from my own department. Capital funding was also made available through the jobs initiative to fund a number of primary and post-primary school building projects.

These measures, together with the other measures announced as part of the Jobs Initiative, are intended to assist in employment generation, provide opportunities for those who have lost their jobs, and thus generate confidence in the economy. The success of such measures is essential if this country is to regain its economic sovereignty.