Clare Daly (Dublin North, Socialist Party)
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117. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the reasons for the removal of the DEIS Rural category for a school (details supplied) in County Dublin, which has pressures that would traditionally be associated with a disadvantaged school; the steps he will take to deal with the particular pressures being experienced in the area as a result of poor planning and housing decisions. [42121/13]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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Following an independent identification process in 2005, 875 schools were selected for inclusion in DEIS (Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools).

The school to which the Deputy refers was not deemed to have a sufficient level of disadvantage to qualify for inclusion in DEIS and therefore was never classified as a DEIS school.

A review mechanism was put in place in 2006 to address the concerns of schools that did not qualify for inclusion in DEIS but regarded themselves as having a level of disadvantage which was of a scale sufficient to warrant their inclusion in the programme. No application for review was received from this school.

There are supports available to all children, from low-income families and families experiencing financial hardship, whether DEIS or non-DEIS schools. These include the School Books Grant scheme, which is administered by my Department and aims to support parents in meeting the cost of school books, and the Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance, to help meet the cost of uniforms and footwear for students, which is administered by my colleague, the Minister for Social Protection.

Additional support is provided for schools with high concentrations of pupils that require language support. Further additional temporary support may be provided to schools that have significant concentrations of pupils that require language support on the basis of appeal to the Independent Staffing Appeal Board.