Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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Question 16: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills in view of the fact that his proposed cuts to DEIS schools were made without an impact assessment, if he will recognise that his mistake was not to have undertaken any impact assessment of the proposed cuts prior to the budget 2012 proposals announced in December; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10289/12]

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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Question 21: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills when he expects the review on cuts to DEIS announced in the budget for 2012 to be published; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10188/12]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 16 and 21 together.

The Report on the impact, in terms of posts, of Budget measures on DEIS Band 1 and Band 2 urban primary schools that still had additional posts allocated under disadvantage schemes, pre-dating DEIS was published earlier this week.

The legacy disadvantage posts date back to programmes such as Giving Children an Even Break and Breaking the Cycle. They were retained in a number of schools in addition to the normal posts and other supports that are allocated to all DEIS schools. The retention of these older posts in some but not all DEIS schools created a degree of inequity in the system and that is one of the reasons they were considered for withdrawal.

The Budget announcements followed on the Comprehensive Expenditure Review (CER) process. The objectives of the CER were to provide the Government with a comprehensive set of decision options. The approach taken by my Department in the CER process endeavoured to spread the adjustment burden equitably across different parts of the education system. This would ensure that education and training priorities continued to be the focus of policy and allocations. DEIS schools in disadvantaged areas would continue to be provided with targeted supports including preferential Pupil Teacher Ratios (PTRs) over and above mainstream schools.

Ultimately, given the state of the country's finances, difficult and unpalatable decisions have to be made.

I requested a report because conflicting and in some cases exaggerated numbers of posts were being reported as potentially lost to schools and it was necessary to obtain clarity with regard to the net effect of a range of factors on teacher allocations in these schools; for example, increasing and decreasing enrolments, the reforms to the existing teacher allocations process and up to date enrolments, all of which contribute to determining the staffing requirement for these schools for 2012/13 school year.

On foot of an analysis of the Report, the Government agreed to retain a total of 235 posts, on a concessionary basis, in DEIS Band 1 and DEIS Band 2 schools.

My Department's Social Inclusion Unit will now be writing to the schools concerned and all DEIS Band 1 schools separately in relation to their staffing allocations for 2012/13 school year.

Clare Daly (Dublin North, Socialist Party)
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Question 17: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of part-time contract teachers paid by his Department and the vocational education committee funds that have applied for contracts of indefinite duration; the number of such claims that have been contested by his Department or vocational education committee; the legal and administrative cost to the State of contesting these legitimate entitlements; and if he will ensure that part-time workers qualifying for CIDs will receive their legitimate entitlement without have to take cases to Rights Commissioner and Labour Court. [10186/12]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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Where there is a dispute regarding the award of a Contract of Indefinite Duration (CID) to a teacher, my Department's procedures provide for an appeal to an independent adjudicator. A teacher may also choose to avail of the Rights Commissioner Service.

53 adjudicator appeals were lodged in the 2011/2012 school year. 33 of these were dealt with without the need for formal adjudication with 9 cases progressing to adjudication.

A referral to the adjudicator costs the Department between €690-€920. The Department does not, in general, engage an external legal team for Rights Commissioner cases.

The information requested by the Deputy in respect of teachers employed by Vocational Education Committees (VECs) is not available in my Department as these are matters dealt with at local level by the VECs.

Figures relating to CIDs for teachers paid by my Department are being collated and will be forwarded to the Deputy separately.