Niall Collins (Limerick, Fianna Fail)
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248. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he has any advice to offer to the boards of management of DEIS band primary schools in Tallaght, Dublin 24 in relation to funding (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36761/13]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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A key focus of the Government's education policy is to prioritise investment in favour of those most at risk and to optimise access, participation and outcomes at every level of the system for disadvantaged groups. Therefore it is my intention that the additional resources available to DEIS schools are utilised to optimum benefit to achieve identified outcomes for the most at risk pupils. As part of the DEIS programme a total of €69.1m is being provided to 665 primary schools supporting 100,595 pupils and some 930 additional teacher posts. This funding provides for Reduced Class Sizes; Home School Community Liaison Service; Support Teacher Project; DEIS and Book Grants to individual schools. DEIS Schools are also targeted for supports provided under the Department of Social Protection Schools Meals Programmes (€34m) and the Department of Children and Youth Affairs School Completion Programme (€26.4m). My Department continues to work to ensure that DEIS funding is used effectively. For example, it has recently provided guidelines on the appropriate use of DEIS grant funding in primary and post primary schools, emphasising a number of recommended activities such as at least 10% of DEIS grant to be allocated to Home School Community Liaison activities.

Some of the additional DEIS grant may also be used to meet ancillary costs such as heating, lighting and other miscellaneous charges related to extended openings of school buildings remaining open to cater for clubs and after school activities. The 22 DEIS schools in Tallaght will receive €0.715 million in DEIS grants in 2013/14 school year. Schools have been given the autonomy to work within the guidelines for the appropriate use of DEIS funding and to decide how best to utilise DEIS resources, including the DEIS grant to achieve maximum benefits to the most at risk pupils in line with their DEIS Action Plans and addressing educational disadvantage. These guidelines, which issued in October 2012, now place emphasis on outcomes rather than being too prescriptive in relation to recommended activities and interventions. Information on the full range of supports provided to DEIS schools is available on the Social Inclusion section of my Departments website at following link .