Jonathan O'Brien (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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80. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of minutes per day DEIS schools and non-DEIS schools are teaching literacy. [11350/14]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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With effect from January 2012 and in line with the Literacy and Numeracy Strategy, all primary schools are required to spend 6.5 hours for infants with a shorter day, and 8.5 hours per week for students with a full day on the development of literacy skills, particularly in the first language of the school.

At post-primary level circular 25/12 emphasises that literacy and numeracy are cross-curricular skills which can be supported across the curriculum. It also provides that students should have access to an English lesson every day and that in addition, students in Irish-medium schools should have access to an Irish lesson every day.

There is a particular emphasis on literacy in DEIS schools and the DEIS School Support Programme includes access to literacy support services and to literacy programmes and to Home School Community Liaison services including literacy initiatives involving paired reading and Reading for Fun. The School Completion Programme also supports additional literacy interventions in an after-school space. The emphasis in the DEIS programme is on school planning so that teaching and other resources are delivered to meet identified educational needs within the school. As in all schools, the quality of the learning supports provided in DEIS schools is as important, if not more so, than the time spent on individual elements of the curriculum.

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal North East, Fianna Fail)
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81. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills further to Parliamentary Question No. 80 of 26 February 2014, the total number of teaching posts that schools are currently over prior to any retirements in August 2014 in view of the fact that the teacher allocation section have recently notified all schools who are over the quota of the exact number by which they are over; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11422/14]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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The staffing and redeployment process for the 2014/15 school year is currently underway in my Department. The level of surplus for redeployment is influenced by many factors including retirements, career breaks, job-sharing etc. and additional allocations for the forthcoming year in respect of demographics. This continues to evolve as new information is received from relevant schools. At this stage of the process, the level of surplus for redeployment will be of the order of the equivalent of 45 teaching posts from about 30 schools. However, please note that these figures are subject to change in the light of additional information from the relevant schools.