Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)
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167. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs his priorities for the school completion programme 2015. [7760/15]

James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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The School Completion Programme aims to retain young people in the formal education system to completion of senior cycle and to generally improve the school attendance, participation and retention of young people who are at risk of educational disadvantage. The Programme is a targeted intervention aimed at school communities identified through the Department of Education and Skills’ DEIS Action Plan for Educational Inclusion. It provides targeted supports annually to approximately 36,000 children.

Since 1st January 2014, the Child and Family Agency has operational responsibility for the School Completion Programme, including the allocation of funds to local projects. In 2014, an allocation of €24.756 million has been provided for the School Completion programme. The Agency has approved local projects' school retention plans for the 2014/2015 academic year. The first two instalments of 2014/15 funding have been issued to local projects, with a third instalment planned for payment in May 2015. The estimate for the Child and Family Agency for 2015 is €631 million, a 4.3% increase on its 2014 allocation.

The planned programme review of the School Completion Programme, indicated in the Comprehensive Review of Expenditure 2012 - 2014 is underway. The objectives of the review are to examine the programme's structures, clarify roles and responsibilities, to analyse the interventions and supports provided and identify best practice for young people at risk of early school leaving and make recommendations for the future of the programme.

The plan for the review includes arrangements to capture the views of a range of stakeholders, including staff and all those involved in the organisation and administration of the School Completion Programme.

The review of the School Completion Programme is an important initiative in planning for the future development of the programme. It will assist in identifying the reforms necessary to consolidate the programme on a sustainable footing for the future. Preliminary information gathered in the review indicates that the School Completion Programme encompasses a broad and diverse range of measures and interventions that have been developed by local projects over the years. The intention is to learn more about the most successful of these, share the learning across the programme and ensure that available funds are targeted to those services that provide the greatest contribution to good educational outcomes for children and young people at risk of educational disadvantage.

The completion of the review is a priority for the Child & Family Agency and my Department. Work is at an advanced stage and it is anticipated that the review will be completed during the current academic year.